Harrow undertakes $1 million investment for sports improvement

Friday, January 8, 2021

Football, netball, cricket, and tennis enthusiasts in Harrow will enjoy new facilities including a female friendly pavilion, the improvements made possible by a $1 million investment from the Andrews Labor Government.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Danielle Green this week joined West Wimmera Shire Mayor Bruce Meyer to officially open the new facilities at Harrow and District Recreation Reserve.

Harrow is the home of cricket great Johnny Mullagh, also known by his traditional name Unaarrimin, who was the star of the first all-Aboriginal team to tour England in 1868 and is a recent inductee into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. The best player in the Boxing Day Test is awarded the Johnny Mullagh Medal.

Home to the Harrow Balmoral Southern Roos Football Netball Club and the Harrow Tennis Club, the reserve was once considered to have the worst facilities in the Horsham District Football Netball League.

Upgrades include new female friendly change rooms, office spaces, accessible public toilets with baby change facilities, first aid rooms, undercover viewing areas and additional space out of the weather for families on cold and wet days.

The new female friendly facilities are a game-changer and will enable local clubs to expand their junior and female teams and cater for more members of all backgrounds in the community at training and competition, development programs and big events.

From new sports pavilions to play-space upgrades, projects like these provide high-quality and accessible places for Victorians to reap the benefits of taking part in sport and active recreation.

The Harrow project is part of the Labor Government’s $1 billion investment in community sport and recreation infrastructure since 2014 – creating jobs, stimulating local economies and bringing people together.

Ms Green acknowledged West Wimmera Shire, the Commonwealth Government, AFL Victoria and the Harrow community for their commitment and financial contribution to the project.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Danielle Green said that Harrow and Balmoral locals are passionate about their sport, and the Harrow and District Recreation Reserve transformation will open up opportunities for players to emulate sporting heroes like Johnny Mullagh. The clubs like the Southern Roos and Harrow Tennis Club have been hamstrung by outdated facilities and now they can look to the future with excitement and confidence.

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