A CASH boost will fund vital upgrades at a south-west sporting club, which for years has been putting up with sub-standard facilities.
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The Cobden Football Netball Club has secured funding to upgrade its netball courts.
The club received a $300,000 federal government grant for the works, which the club anticipates will cost $600,000.
Corangamite Shire agreed to go guarantor for a $200,000 loan on Tuesday.
Cobden netballer Nadine McNamara said it was an exciting time for the club.
"There are four new courts being resurfaced and remade, shelters being put along two courts and all new lighting," she said.
"It should be all done in the next month or two, it's coming along quite quickly.
"The first timeline for the project was meant to be round one but like many big projects it's taken a little bit longer."
She said it will transform the playing and viewing experience.
"A couple of the people on the committee, including Darren Mounsey and Trevor Clarke have been really pushing for the project and have worked really hard to get it where it is.
"Netballers can sometimes feel a bit left out but we feel very valued here.
"It something we've been working towards in recent years, trying figure out how we can make it financially viable. It's fantastic to have found a way to make it work."
There are around 100 netballers at the Cobden club.
"It's really great to see such a small town have such great representation for females in sport," Ms McNamara said.
"We're really excited, the netball program has come a long way in the last five to 10 years and has achieved great success in recent years.
"To have the facilities to promote playing and training will be great.
"Particularly from the point of view of players with young families, to have shelters for the children to sit under which watching the training and be there on game day.
"Especially in our community where a lot of families are farming families, often the children come to training."
Corangamite Shire deputy mayor Cr Jo Beard said the netball courts were well below standard.
"There are over 100 netballers at the Cobden club," she said. "The future of the club is in safe hands, the courts will be used and appreciated for years and years to come.
"They're not to standard; there's no shelter, you're out there in the elements and the community deserves better.
"The courts aren't currently at Australian netball standards.
"These upgrades just have to happen."
Mayor Ruth Gstrein said the upgrades were a massive coup for the club.
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