GREENFIELD Park will be transformed into a boutique rectangular venue capable of hosting 5000 spectators for national level rugby league, rugby union and soccer in addition to remaining the home of Albury Thunder.
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Albury Council has ticked off on a master-plan of the centrally located facility which includes upgraded changeroom facilities for male and female players and more carparking spaces.
The master-plan has been driven by the Thunder rugby league club with the overall upgrade estimated to cost $5 million.
Top level NRL, Super Rugby and A-League soccer matches have previously been played at Lavington and Albury sportsgrounds due to the constraints of Greenfield Park.
Importantly, the plans don’t impact on other community groups in the precinct including table tennis, smallbore rifle shooting, pigeon racing, fly fishing and netball.
A formalising of carparking spots around Greenfield Park will result in the creation of an additional 182 parks from the existing 272 under the plans.
Thunder officials first approached council about shortcomings at its long-term home three years ago and NRL preferred facility guidelines for grassroots rugby league have been considered in designs for the upgraded pavilion.
Greenfield Park becomes the latest Albury sporting facility to be in line for an upgrade with works underway at Lavington Sportsground and about to start shortly at J.C. King Park.
Thunder president Rick O’Connell said the master-plan being ticked off was a major breakthrough and hoped state and federal governments would look upon the project favourably.
“We had to go through the appropriate planning stages to get to this point,” he said.
“The next step is getting the appropriate level of funding to support it.
“We’re fairly realistic that it will take a little bit of time.
“But we’ve got the plans now and we’re ready to go
The Greenfield Park master-plan will go on public exhibition for 28 days, but Cr Henk van de Ven is excited about the pending improvements.
“What we are trying to do here is fantastic,” he said.
Cr Darren Cameron queried the relationship with the Thunder junior club in terms of the development and whether they had been consulted.
Thunder juniors play at Sarvaas Park in North Albury.
“We will certainly seek to capture all different users requirements and they will be one of them,” director Simona Coad said.
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