Some of the Sunshine Coast's most popular sport stars have a new and improved space to prepare for games and sharpen their skills.
New change rooms have opened at the Sunshine Coast Stadium Precinct, news welcomed by our region's premier rugby league team who call the venue home.
The Sunshine Coast Falcons, who compete in the Queensland Intrust Super Cup and finished top of the ladder at the end of the 2019 Home and Away Rounds, will use the facility as their training, treatment and education headquarters.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the new change rooms would help the club take that next step in 2020 and beyond.
"The new change rooms will provide the Falcons with comfortable and contemporary facilities and will be used for their training, treatment and education headquarters," Mayor Jamieson said.
"Sunshine Coast Stadium plays host to numerous teams from other sporting codes throughout the year who I'm sure will also appreciate this new facility, which includes an accessible, unisex public toilet to help with event management.
"The new $550,000 change rooms were funded by council and the Queensland Government's Queensland Footy Facilities Fund.
"Council is proud to work closely with our partner organisations to provide new facilities that help our local sporting teams develop and grow."
The Footy Facilities Fund is a joint initiative of the National Rugby League, Queensland Rugby League and the Queensland Government.
Division 3 Councillor Peter Cox said the new change rooms would help provide a better environment to nurture and support the next generation of rugby league players.
"With the Falcons being a feeder club to the Melbourne Storm, improved amenities help give young players the best possible start to their careers," Cr Cox said.
"Rugby league is hugely popular here on the Sunshine Coast and it's great that our top-level players will have facilities in line with competition standards."
Sunshine Coast Stadium, along with the Eastern Fields, Western Fields, Lake Kawana, and the Kawana Aquatic Centre make up the 45-hectare state-of-the-art Kawana Sports Precinct.
Council continues to invest in this facility, which in turn supports our objective for the Sunshine Coast to be Australia's most sustainable region: healthy, smart, creative.
Falcons Chief Executive Officer Chris Flannery said the club would like to thank the Sunshine Coast Council and the Queensland Government's Footy Facilities Fund for their vision and support of these vital new change rooms.
"These new change rooms will allow the Falcons' semi-professional players, and Melbourne Storm fully-professional players, to train and prepare each week in an environment that is very fitting to the high standards that we expect of them on the field, and in the community, each weekend," Mr Flannery said.
"With our Intrust Super Cup Falcons team Minor Premiers this year and our U20s Falcons winning the state-wide grand final at the weekend, it's fantastic to know that when they return for pre-season training in November, they will have these high quality change rooms to operate out of and prepare for our 2020 campaigns."
Image: Testing out the new change rooms - Sunshine Coast Council Division 4 Councillor John Connolly, Chairman of the Falcons Ashley Robinson OAM (Order of Australia Medal), Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson, Division 3 Councillor Peter Cox and Falcons Chief Executive Officer Chris Flannery.
