The construction of significant upgrades is underway at the home of National Premier Leagues NSW side Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC, Popondetta Park.
Having successfully secured funding in 2016 following an extensive process of consultation with local government, the Rangers have confirmed that changes to their newly refurbished home ground will be completed by September this year.
The multimillion-dollar upgrades include the installation of a full-sized synthetic field plus a three-quarter pitch and additional amenities at Popondetta Park, changes Rangers Head Coach Stewart Montgomery is delighted to see come to fruition following years of lobbying Blacktown City Council and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re really excited about what’s happening on the outside fields as we’ve been working for the last 3-4 years with council through the COVID period to get the synthetics up and running. Finally, we’ve got a full-sized pitch on the outside and a three-quarter pitch which will allow the youth and women’s programs to have an all-weather environment to train and play on,” Montgomery told Soccerscene.
“It’s been a long burn so to speak. It started with the godfather of our club Councillor Charlie Lowles, who’s passed away now, and followed-up with Mayor Stephen Bali who is now the local member for Blacktown in the state electorate. We had a really good support base from Blacktown City Council, specifically Mayor Tony Bleasdale, Deputy Mayor Julie Griffiths, and Brad Bunting who’s in charge of all the local sportsgrounds in the area for council.
“We were able to secure a $5 million dollar grant, which obviously with the cost increases that we saw through COVID meant we ended up a million dollars short. Fantastically Ed Husic, our federal member for Chifley, pledged monies during the election process to complete the facility which have since been released following the Labor Party’s election.”
Particularly considering the torrential wet weather experienced by NSW in the 2022 season, the upgrades to Popondetta will come as a welcome reprieve to the club’s senior and junior sides, as well as local players.
And with the Rangers doing well to solidify their presence in the NSW NPL 1 competition against better-resourced sides since their promotion in 2018, Montgomery believes that the upgrades will leave the club best-placed to ensure its future growth and the development of its future footballers.
“Obviously for wet weather games or wash out games we’ll be able to maintain consistency of programs as well,” Montgomery stated.
“From a developmental perspective, it certainly allows us to have more technical type training where you’ve got consistency of pitch and rolls, so for the younger ones it’s really important as well. We can’t wait for it to be finished in around August or September this year.
“You have to have something that underpins the aspirations so that the base that we already have at Popondetta – with arguably the best grass pitch in the league – can be complimented by having two synthetic pitches on the outside. It also gives us a full scope of how we want to play our football and future-proofs the club financially as we aren’t forced to hire grounds and can now rent the field to other clubs should it be required. We can also run commercial-style competitions that other clubs do. So, it brings in future revenue that will obviously support the finances of the club.”
In addition to helping the club to attract and retain players, as well as grow its grassroots base, Montgomery believes that the upgrade will reaffirm the current Rangers administration’s goal of ensuring a legacy for the club and region’s football futures.
“Now, having the best options available in terms of giving these grassroots players a fantastic environment to play in and also a direct pathway as juniors into SAP and the NPL programs. We’ll be able to support everyone’s aspirations from participation at the grassroots level through to elite football, so, it’s really important that the community aspect isn’t lost in all of this,” he said.
“Legacy is something that we think hard about because the people who’ve been there before us had the vision to create Popondetta and to have the infrastructure in place that was way ahead when compared to other local council grounds.
“We want to continue that on in their spirit, the likes of Charlie Lowles and these people who gave their life to the clubs, we want to leave it better than when we came in. The whole community is garnered around making sport available and affordable and having the best facilities, so everyone benefits from it that’s for sure.
“We’re looking forward to hosting our Opening Gala Day in celebration of the new upgrades and can’t wait to get going.”
