The Queanbeyan Tigers home ground is set for a lighting revamp, following the announcement of a $200,000 NSW government grant.
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Member for Monaro John Barilaro and NSW Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres announced the grant last Friday, July 8, with the intent of supporting the growing popularity of the code and the increased participation and usage of Allinsure Park.
"With the popularity of junior AFL and Auskick programs, and an increased focus on women's football ahead of the national women's competition starting in 2017, this is a great announcement for the local Queanbeyan footy community," Ayres said.
"In recent years, the Queanbeyan Tigers have worked tirelessly to improve facilities such as change rooms, fencing and the canteen.
"This lighting upgrade is another great step."
Mr Barilaro said the grant would would ensure the local AFL community was provided with a high standard facility.
"The Tigers are experiencing a steady growth in participation rates across both junior and senior football," he said.
"This upgrade will not only help with training, but also night matches."
The revamp of the lights will be the first time they have been touched since their initial installation and Tigers general manager of football operations Michael Goiser said the upgrade was long overdue.
"The lights went up in 1982, so over the last few years we have been trying to sort some funding to be able to upgrade them because they're a little past their use-by date," he said.
"They're not quite the quality we would like to have for both night matches and training."
The growing profile of the women's game was also cited by Goiser, who confirmed the Queanbeyan club's intention of streamlining their male and female squads.
"With women's football becoming so much more popular and our desire to include the women's team more with the senior men's team - it makes it harder to fit all the games in," he said.
"It will be good for the social fabric of the club, better lighting gives us the option to play more night games and to combine our separate squads socially."