The fast-tracking of a sorely needed major upgrade of Bunton Park is being pursed by an Albury councillor.
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Cr Darren Cameron said the man the ground was named in honour of - one of the city's most respected civic leaders and sporting administrators, the late Cleaver Bunton - would be "rolling in his grave" at the present state of North Albury Football-Netball League's home ground.
A long-term blueprint for the venue's redevelopment was not moving fast enough, Cr Cameron said.
He said the recently completed $19 million Lavington Sportsground had taken the focus away from facilities such as Bunton Park.
"The facilities here have fallen behind for what is now an accepted standard," he said.
"It's going to make it hard for the club to attract younger players because their parents will want them to play at clubs with more elaborate facilities.
"It is great to have a centre of excellent out at Lavington, but I was always worried we were putting our eggs in one basket and that is why I voted against it originally.
"Cleaver Bunton would be rolling in his grave if he could see how far behind North Albury has fallen.
"It has been one of the powerhouse clubs of the Ovens and Murray league, but it needs to be supported and it needs to be competitive."
Hoppers president Tony Burns said the upgrade of the ground needed to be accelerated.
Lighting improvements are set to begin, but canteen facilities and toilet upgrades were urgently needed.
"Volunteers and even players are going to look at Lavington and say 'wow', but when they come here and see the facilities here they soon make up their mind where they want to play," he said.
"We have women who will leave a game here and go home because the toilets are in such a bad state."
Cr Cameron said the Bunton Park toilets were "on a par" with those at Urana Oval before a recent upgrade carried out by council.
"I'm not joking, they really are," he said.
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Cr Cameron said he would be raising the Bunton Park upgrade at a council briefing session tonight with discussions on 2021-22 budget priorities already well advanced.
"What I will be asking other councillors to do is to consider accelerating the program of works that are planned for North Albury and get them up to a reasonable standard in the shortest possible time," he said.
"There has obviously been an affect on the master-plan and the consultation hasn't been as good as it should have been by the fact consultation was being done with the sports club which has since folded.
"We need to be talking directly to the football-netball club and the other clubs which use the facilities here.
"What the club is asking for is not unreasonable at all.
"They are only asking for what would have to be normally done over the course of time.
"Personally I can't help but feel that we have over-concentrated on Lavington and not looked hard enough at the other facilities in town."
The venue was established in the post World War II period with the Hoppers making the move into the Ovens and Murray league from the Chiltern and District league at the end of the 1947 season and winning a flag in its debut season.
The Hoppers won their most recent premiership in 2002 and began this season with a 123-point thrashing at the hands of Myrtleford on Easter Sunday.
North Albury and Lavington have user agreements with council for their home grounds with the city's other O and M club, Albury, having an exclusive use deal for use of the sportsground.
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