Tigers get up to scratch

The renovations, which will be funded primarily by the Queanbeyan City Council and the AFL Community Development Program, will see new visitor’s change rooms constructed at the venue.

The upgrades will also include new umpires change rooms, new ladies toilets, provision for disabled toilets and an extension of the existing canteen and storage areas.

The total cost of the refurbishment is estimated at in excess of $300,000. The Tigers are one of a host of clubs that have been required to bring their facilities up to scratch following their inclusion in the North East Australian Football League.

“There hasn’t been an upgrade of these facilities since 1979 so they are in desperate need of one,” Tigers general manager Ron Fowlie said.

“The NEAFL has taken things to another level and we’ve got to be able to accommodate that. These upgrades, and the ones we have proposed, will address every concern the NEAFL has had with our ground.

“It’s just a matter of upgrading our facilities to make sure NEAFL teams are accommodated for, not just now, but also well into the future.”

Visiting clubs have typically been required to set up tents adjacent to the playing surface owing to the limited amount of changing room space currently available at Dairy Farmers Park

Fowlie said he hoped the upgrades – which are expected to be complete in time for the Tigers 2013 campaign – would be just the first step in a series of more extensive renovations at the ground. 

The club’s main unfunded priority is for new lighting, with a proposed price tag of about $400,000.

 “Upgrading the lighting here would enable us to be able to host night games which could conceivably be televised through the Foxtel Cup and other avenues down the line,” Fowlie said.

“We’ve approached the Federal government for funding through [Federal Member for Monaro] Mike Kelly and he’s been very positive.”