Wilson Park is set to undergo an upgrade with new toilets and showers planned, better storage space on the soccer side of the park and renovations to the existing rugby club house.

The current surface at the Park makes playing sport difficult and Glen Innes and District Football Association coach Troy Arandale welcomed the news it would receive an upgrade. 

“This means such a lot for soccer – at the moment the pitch is dilapidated with divots and uneven patches and the grass cover isn’t good so you get the occasional knee and ankle injury,” Arandale said.

“We’re really looking forward to the fields being dug up, laser leveled and re-turfed with a new underground irrigation system.”

Across the road, the amenities block used by soccer will also get a modern makeover, including canteen improvements, a reconfiguring for male and female players in the change rooms and running hot water.

“We’ve got toilets and showers but only cold water and now we’ll get hot water and that will be really good when it comes to Glen Innes in winter,” Arandale said.

Soccer is the second biggest sporting code in town. Senior soccer runs two divisions but and Arandale believes the coming upgrades will boost numbers, especially in adult ranks.

“Soccer is for six months of the year but with these works we will probably start a summer footsal competition and bringing the athletics track to Wilson Park will be really good too,” he said.

The Elks made their return to Wilson Park this year after previously using the showground as their home base due to a previous lack of facilities. 

Glen Innes Rugby vice-president Sam Price said the revamp was much appreciated. 

“Our facilities were built back in about 1982 and there’s really been no work done to it since then but our share of the funding will allow us to upgrade our facilities to a level, particularly for women, that meets today’s sporting requirements,” Mr Price said.

That will include sectioned change room facilities to afford privacy to male and female players, that haven’t been available up until now.

The grant was received from the NSW Government with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall making the announcement on Wednesday. 

The works are worth $512,443.

“This grant will give a huge kickalong to multiple sports that use the complex, including soccer, rugby union and netball and pave the way for little athletics to move in as well,” Marshall said.

“Even more importantly, it will give the complex the kinds of facilities and modern amenities that will make it a magnet for other sports and other users.”