Greater Geraldton council approves plans for separate Rovers women’s changing rooms

Rovers Football Club has secured council backing to move with the times and upgrade its ageing change rooms, which would see it become the first GNFL club to have its own female changing facilities. The City of Greater Geraldton has approved a plan to help fund the $730,000-plus upgrade, which includes separate change rooms for men and women. Rovers’ current change rooms were built in 1975 and currently female players have to change in toilet cubicles if they want privacy. The important upgrades were needed, according Daniel Starling, Rovers’ women’s coach and club president. “It’s pretty significant not only for our women’s team but for our juniors, Indigenous youth, for many groups,” he said. “It will be awesome because it will make if feel comfortable, and when you feel comfortable in a place you settle in and more people come.” Natasha Colliver, Geraldton councillor and vice-president of the Great Northern Junior Football League, has been a vocal advocate for building women’s sports facilities. Cr Colliver said a lack of financial backing was holding back the facilities needed for women’s sport. ‘It’s money, it’s very, very, very expensive, it’s beyond the capacity of local government to provide for all these facilities, so we really need some input from the state and federal government,” she said. Cr Colliver said she hoped this would be part of a wider push to build women’s facilities throughout Geraldton’s many sporting communities. During the council meeting on Tuesday, she described a time she had to hire marquees to set up girls change rooms for a GNJFL competition “That’s what I am talking about in terms of lack of facilities, and it’s in all of the sports,” she said. According to Cr Colliver, building facilities was important to continuing the success of the GNWFL, which has run for four years. “Having women involved in football has just been a game-changer, in terms of bringing people into the clubs, meaning you have a new generation of people who want to support our clubs,” she said. GNFL president Carrissa Bellottie said she expected other clubs to bring in similar changes soon. “Each club has to adjust and make things female-friendly, and I am sure that each club is looking into how they can upgrade their facilities even more,” she said. Mayor Shane Van Styn added: “With a burgeoning women’s football league it’s critical women have their own distinct change rooms and we are looking forward to facilitating the developing those.” Council will now put forward an application for funding to the WA government’s Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund. The plan will see $243,588 provided by council, and hopefully another $243,588 provided by the State Government. Mr Van Styn expected the process to take roughly six months. Once fully approved, construction can begin.