Anne Parisianne
Rivergum cricket club is calling for urgent upgrades to its women’s facilities, highlighting significant challenges in attracting female players due to inadequate amenities.
The club’s current setup includes two changerooms—one for males and one for females—with the female changeroom also serving as the club’s social space.
This arrangement has created problems, especially during women’s matches, as the social area becomes inaccessible.
Inside the changing room, there is one toilet and one urinal, resulting in the female player and female visitors or family members of the team members can only use one toilet.
The club’s committee member Gabriele Sorrentino said the club wants to grow its women’s team, but the current facilities have made it challenging to invite more women to join.
“Female membership is important, especially for clubs to survive in the long term,” Mr Sorrentino said.
Currently, the club has about 80 junior members (including 10 girls) and around 70 senior members (including 15 women),
Mr Sorrentino said Whittlesea council’s master plan for Kelynack Reserve, published in 2021, included provisions for upgrading the women’s facilities at Rivergum cricket club.
But progress has stalled, and council has not budgeted for the project, deeming it a low priority, Mr Sorrentino said.
In contrast, other clubs like Epping Football Club have received significant upgrades in recent years, Mr Sorrentino said.
A team member Natalie O’Flynn said, “We struggle on the days that we have the home games, and to be honest, it’s quite embarrassing sometimes just to have the one toilet for the women.”
“The upgrade to the facilities is just very much needed. The councillors want more women to play sports, whether it be cricket, soccer, football… but having a room like that, it’s very difficult to do,” she said.
Whittlesea council spokesperson said, “The Kelynack Recreation Reserve Master Plan was endorsed by council in 2020. As a long-term priority, the Master Plan identifies replacement of the existing pavilion with a new multi-purpose community pavilion, as well as improvements to the spectator area directly adjacent to the pavilion.”
“Council has recently undertaken an audit of all sporting pavilions across our municipality to assess the suitability of facilities to provide gender equality and fair access to community sports facilities. We are currently reviewing the audit results which will be used to identify priority upgrades across these facilities.
“Short-term priority actions outlined in the masterplan, including playground, pathways and picnic areas have been delivered.
“Delivery of the remaining recommendations in the masterplan and any capital improvements to pavilions are subject to funding through Council’s annual capital works program.”
