Narooma sporting clubs are calling for urgent upgrades to the facilities at Bill Smyth Oval.
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Clubs train teams there most evenings of the week and the oval is used most weekends by Narooma sporting clubs who say the change room facilities are totally inadequate for the amount of use they have.
Fitness coach and player for the Narooma Lions AFL team, Kirby Mackie, said that it was hard to become a strong club.
“Men, women and juniors all share the one change room which causes many issues at home games, such as women having to get changed in front of men,” she said.
“Plus I’m also a teacher and I’m getting changed in front of students and they’re seeing parts of me that they shouldn’t see.
“It’s not only awkward for them, it’s awkward for me too. It raises a huge code of conduct issue.”
Ms Mackie said it also caused issues for adolescent girls when they played with mixed teams and had to get changed with the boys, some of them high school students.
The Narooma Netball Club has one netball court on the opposite side of Bill Smyth Oval to the amenities shed that houses the only toilet facilities.
Club president Jane Rogerson said the situation was unsatisfactory.
“We have approximately 50 members across five teams and we have no change room facilities, no toilet facilities and nowhere to store our gear, which means each coach has to carry and store their team’s gear,” she said.
“In order for our girls to go to the toilet they have to use the AFL facilities on the other side of the oval, which means they have to be accompanied by an adult.”
Ms Rogerson said she would like to see a storage shed for Narooma Netball and toilet facilities on the other side of the oval.
Vice president of the Narooma Lions Football Club, John Murray, said it was a strong club with lots of men and women out there training.
“Our facilities are a little bit underrated; our canteen needs upgrading, we need more change rooms because we have a lot more people playing the sport now,” he said.
“There is nowhere for us to meet, after training or after the game.
“Narooma as a community would benefit from having better facilities at the oval,” he said.
