From rags to riches – new amenities for Wentworth Falls FC

The brand new $1.4 million amenities building at Pitt Park home of the Wentworth Falls Warriors Football Club is a fantastic story of rags to riches.  

Wentworth Falls Football Club, from the Nepean Football Association, is am ever-growing club in the Blue Mountains who certainly outgrew their small shed on site. The previous onsite building had a tiny canteen and a multi-use space which was used for storage.

Representatives from the Australian and NSW governments, Football NSW and Nepean Football Association joined Blue Mountains Deputy Mayor Chris Van der Kley, Councillors Romola Hollywood and Brent Hoare, and office bearers from Wentworth Falls Football Club to tour the new facilities.

The club mascot, a Warrior, certainly exemplified the new amenities project.

Since the late 90’s the club has fundraised and put money aside to contribute to a new amenities building at Pitt Park.

Throughout the last two decades the club has submitted multiple grant applications only to be rejected numerous times.

“What this project shows is the determination and perseverance from the club to ensure their members can have the best facility possible for the future,” said Football NSW’s Government Relations, Funding and Infrastructure Manager Daniel Ristic.

From a funding perspective, Wentworth Falls FC received $150,000 from the NSW Asian Cup Legacy Fund, a further $175,000 from the Sport Australia Community Sport Infrastructure Grant. Wentworth Falls FC added over $300,000 of club funding with Blue Mountains City Council completing the funding puzzle with the remaining funding.

The club now has a state of the art and modern gender-neutral amenities building that will serve the club for the next 30 plus years. The new building has a set of change rooms for participants, a referee’s changeroom, a large canteen space, a fantastic clubroom that the club will use for meetings and events, plus public toilets, accessible toilets, and storage for the club’s operations.

Almost a quarter (23%) of all football venues in NSW do not provide player change room facilities, with 81% of all player change rooms in NSW not being gender neutral.

This two-storey marvel has plenty of undercover space for players, spectators, and volunteers to use during the hot summer days or the cold winter (sometime snowing) nights in the Blue Mountains.

The community sporting club environment is designed to build a stronger, healthier, and safer community.

Social spaces off the field are often where strong social bonds are formed. Wentworth Falls FC now have a wonderful space for the club and community to gather and build those bonds.

Females at Wentworth Falls FC will now have a safe and secure place to get changed before and after games rather than having to change in cars or behind a tree.

Inclusive football facilities are one of the five key infrastructure priorities from the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy.

This area focuses on increasing and improving gender-neutral player and referee change rooms.

Wentworth Falls start their winter season after Easter when club participants will have the opportunity to use this modern amenities building for the first time.