A hulking new building is coming to life at Pitt Park, something many soccer stalwarts of the Wentworth Falls Football Club never thought they would see happen
Club past president Lesley Tarlinton, who spearheaded much of the campaign to raise funds in the community for the building, said she can't wait for it to open next year.
Wentworth Falls has been playing social soccer since 1975 and a club with Nepean since 1983.
"After all those sausage sales, it's great," she said.
It was the culmination of more than 25 years of saving with the club kicking in $250,000 to the build, which is also funded by Sports Australia and Football NSW Asian Cup Legacy Fund grants. Blue Mountains councillors signed off on a $1.1 million tender for the construction in March.
Council is managing the build and a spokeswoman said "the construction ... is well underway with completion scheduled for February 2021".
Ms Tarlinton said the new clubhouse will have an upstairs change room, showers/toilets as well as meeting room, canteen and verandah. Downstairs there will be a referees/first aid room, disability toilet/shower and storage. The design also includes an elevated viewing deck overlooking the fields.
The building replaces the decades old "tardis", built from bits of tin and wood from the old tennis club in Wilson Park.
Meanwhile Katoomba Bendigo Community Bank recently agreed to sponsor the Wentworth Falls Football Club. Jane Canfield, a spokesperson for the volunteer board said Katoomba Bendigo Bank joined forces with North Richmond and Richmond Bendigo Community Bank to co-sponsor the new uniforms as the teams play throughout the Mountains and are often around the Hawkesbury and Camden areas.
Brigitte Mackenzie, Katoomba Bendigo Community Bank Branch manager said it was "one of many examples of how the Bendigo Community Bank network can work together to provide even more benefits for our communities. Our branch has returned more than $600,000 to the Blue Mountains region."
The council spokeswoman said the "essential infrastructure upgrade ... will provide improved facilities for all users of the sportsgrounds, and support community sporting groups to increase membership and participation".
"Pitt Park is the home ground of the Wentworth Falls Football Club (WFFC), who have been instrumental in advocating and fundraising for this project over many years. Funding has also been provided by BMCC and via two separate grants from Sports Australia and Football NSW."
Ms Tarlinton made special thanks to local Labor and Liberal Crs Romola Hollywood and Chris Van der Kley respectively who had pushed for the project from the outset.
