Published on 11 February 2022
New unisex changerooms for Hackham Sports Complex
New unisex* changerooms for Hackham Sports Complex were officially opened yesterday in a boost for gender equity and participation in the region.
The $1.02 million facility includes four spacious unisex changerooms, four umpire changerooms, private amenities and showers, storage rooms for sports equipment, and new toilet amenities for spectating families and people with access requirements.
It’s the latest in a long list of changeroom upgrades underway or completed across the south.
Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Corey Wingard joined City of Onkaparinga Acting Mayor Marion Themeliotis and representatives from local sporting clubs to celebrate the facility’s opening yesterday, with the acting mayor calling the changerooms an important facility for the community.
“This project has been a priority for council and for good reason,” she said.
“It’s part of our commitment to drive change and ensure we provide modern, compliant change facilities, and ensure women and girls have equitable access and opportunities to access quality facilities at all levels of sport.
“These upgrades have reshaped the complex, helping to reduce barriers for participation, maximise the use of two playing fields, and facilitate the sharing of change rooms between different sports codes, levels and genders.”
The acting mayor paid tribute to the Hackham Football Club, Southern Football League, ICC Sharks Cricket Club, South Coast Soccer Club, Noarlunga United Soccer Club, YWCA Karuna, Junction Australia and other community groups for their patience and cooperation during construction.
She also thanked the state government for providing $500,000 towards the facility through an Office of Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR) Grassroots Grant. City of Onkaparinga contributed $524,337 towards the project.
*'Unisex' changerooms means the changerooms now cater equally for all players, replacing old change facilities that were traditionally designed only to cater for male use. They have been designed to provide more privacy for all players. For example, urinals are replaced with enclosed toilet bays and open showering areas will be replaced with cubicles – all with doors and privacy locks. The local sporting clubs that use the facilities will continue managing them as they always have, with good programming to ensure that male, female, and non-binary players have safe access during sports training and competition.
Changeroom boom
The facility joins a list of recently completed changeroom upgrades at Cherry Gardens Ironbank Recreation Ground and Flagstaff Hill Sports Ground, which were also funded by council and state government ORSR grants.
Two changeroom upgrades are currently under construction at South Port Surf Life Saving Club and the Noarlunga Aquatic and Recreation Centre through Phase 2 of the federal government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program.
Work will begin this year on the $3.3 million Port Noarlunga Sports Complex upgrade, which will see revamped changerooms and clubrooms for the football, netball, cricket and tennis clubs.
Reynella Sports Complex, Peregrine Park (baseball), Morphett Vale Sports Complex and Happy Valley Sports Park are also set for upgrades by June 2023 after council put forward the projects to share in $4.92 million secured through Phase 3 of the LRCI program.
Changerooms for the soccer and hockey clubroom building at Aldinga Sports Park—part of the multimillion council and federal government-funded redevelopment—is also set to receive a funding boost through the funding.
Last month it was announced that City of Onkaparinga will receive $300,000 from the state government’s ORSR’s Game On 2021-22 Infrastructure Grant program to construct two unisex changerooms, two unisex umpire rooms and other amenities at the Noarlunga Sports Ground at Old Noarlunga.