sponsors were on hand for the official opening of the newly resurfaced netball courts at Ward Oval on Saturday.
The Cobar Netball Association’s newly resurfaced courts at Ward Oval were christened on Saturday afternoon with an official opening taking place before the first of senior games of the 2019 season were played.
Club president Haylee Prince welcomed guests, players, sponsors and supporters to the opening saying she was proud to have been involved in this important initiative that will see a popular sport continued to be played in Cobar for many years to come.
“The club understands the importance of having good facilities so that our players can enjoy playing this sport.
“We also see this improvement as a step in nurturing our junior players as well as delivering a safer environment for our players and officials,” Mrs Prince said.
The new court surface is a polyurethane/rubber/acrylic composite.
“It utilises a pre-fabricated shock pad for advanced player comfort and is coated with acrylics for consistent ball bounce, reliable footing and all-weather play,” Mrs Prince explained.
There were previously four asphalt netball courts at the Ward Oval complex however with the re-surface upgrade, there are now only three courts.
“The spacing between the courts and the surrounds now meets Netball Australia standards for safety of players and officials,” Mrs Prince explained.
Umpire lines have been added to the sidelines and a second goal circle at each end has also been marked on the courts with the aim of introducing a FAST 5 Netball competition for players later this year.
Cobar Netball Association worked with council’s special project officers Angela Shepherd to secure the NSW Department of Industry Infrastructure Grant of $175,000 in 2017 to fund the upgrade work.
In conjunction with a $20,000 contribution by Cobar Shire Council, co-funding by the club of $5,000 and donations of materials and labour by Craig Urquhart (Cobar Concrete) and Dean King (concreter) the project was able to be completed to a high standard.
Mrs Prince also acknowledged the assistance of Cobar Shire’s Adrienne Perini who managed the project build over the past month and made sure everything ran smoothly.
“We’re incredibly proud of what has been achieved over the last 12 months,” Mrs Prince said.
Cobar Shire Council deputy mayor Peter Abbott (standing in for Mayor Lilliane Brady) helped to cut the ribbon on the new courts on Saturday and praised the club for their hard work and the committee’s dedication to the sport of netball.
