Gissing Oval to receive upgrade to amenities building

The amenities facilities at Gissing Oval will be improved as part of a larger initiative by Council to create safer spaces for women in sports.

At the 24 February 2025 Ordinary Meeting, Council accepted a tender for the upgrade of the amenities at Gissing Oval in Turvey Park for just over $909,000.

Council’s Recreation Coordinator Joshua Walsh says the project will involve renewal of the existing amenities and the construction of additional change facilities.

“Both lots of change rooms will be converted into female friendly change rooms,” Mr Walsh said.

“It’s a very big improvement for Gissing Oval, which is used frequently by Football Wagga Wagga and Wagga City Wanderers.

“The project will increase the capacity to host competitions and training at Gissing Oval, as well as delivering a safe space that supports social wellbeing and inclusion.”

Council has been working to upgrade multiple aged facilities around the community to meet the current demands of sport, particularly the growth of female sport.

At the moment, there's a lot of days now where both female and male players are competing on the same day.

“It's important that we have multiple facilities available so everyone's comfortable to play,” Mr Walsh said.

“There's still a number of facilities that have been constructed over the last 50 to 60 years that will require additional upgrades to make them female friendly, as well as additional change rooms.

“Over the last five to seven years, we've completed a number of similar projects, and it is a rolling program.

“Our Recreation, Open Space and Community Strategy and Implementation Plan 2040 identifies that all our change facilities need to get to this sort of status, but it’s not something you can do overnight.

“This is something that will continue, I expect, over the next decade.”

Council was successful in securing $500,000 of NSW State Government grant funding for the project under the Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Grant Program, with the remaining funding to be supplied by Council.

The new facility will be constructed in the north-west corner of the site (Bluett Crescent and Blamey Street end), which will be adjacent to the existing facility.