REID Oval has been a political football for too many years with long hollow promises failing to hit the goal of having the region’s premier performance venue for football, netball and cricket.
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On Saturday thousands of fans and players from across the region saw first-hand just how bad the oval surface was — it was more like a cow paddock than a showcase venue for the Hampden league’s elite footballers on grand final day.
Many players finished the match with abrasions and sore joints courtesy of the rough surface.
Earlier in the day Premier and South West Coast MP Denis Napthine and Warrnambool’s mayor Michael Neoh officially opened new change rooms for netballers and pointed to further improvements of the playing courts and a new electronic scoreboard to come.
Dr Napthine repeated the long-term goal of having a facility to cater not only for local matches, but state, national and international events, including AFL practice matches.
However, there’s a lot to be done to finish the job and achieve that goal.
What’s needed is a team commitment by government, city council and user groups to reach a consensus on design, funding and timing.
Yesterday, Cr Neoh put out a suggestion of a separate venue for training and called for the AFL Victoria Country commission to join discussions.
Now’s not the time for bickering about sharing the cost burden as has happened in past years.
There must be a common willingness to give the old Reid a fresh injection of life so it can continue to serve future generations of sports fans.
Warrnambool is often touted as the south-west’s capital and major growth centre — surely it deserves to have the best outdoor sports oval.
To leave the project unfinished would be the equivalent of players dropping the ball and walking off the field half-way through a grand final because they had lost their will to win.