On Thursday 17 February, the new Springfield Sporting Pavilion was officially opened by Cr Mike Symon, Mayor of Maroondah and Sonja Terpstra, Member for Eastern Metropolitan Region, representing the Minister for Community Sport, the Hon. Ros Spence. Maroondah Councillors, sporting club members and members of the community were also in attendance.
Sonja Terpstra, Member for Eastern Metropolitan Region; Cr Mike Symon, Mayor of Maroondah; Cr Tasa Damante of the Wicklow Ward; Michael Krischunas, Life Member of the Croydon Rangers Gridiron Club; Peter Carey, Head of Umpiring, EFNL Umpires Association; and Neil Rose, President of U3A Croydon at the official opening the redeveloped Springfield Pavilion.
The redevelopment of the old Springfield Hall and change rooms was a $4 million project, with support from the Victorian Government.
Beginning in October 2020, the redevelopment included female-friendly player and umpire change rooms, a first-aid room, equipment storerooms, accessible shower and toilet amenities, match-day public toilets, ground floor covered spectator viewing area, foyer and lift, a 200 m2 multipurpose space, kitchen and bar, meeting room, office and storerooms.
Cr Mike Symon, Mayor of Maroondah, said one of the highlights of the new pavilion was the accessibility elements.
"This brand-new building has been designed to be accessible for all.
"It boasts accessible shower and toilet amenities, change rooms and large windows for game visibility no matter the weather," Cr Symon said.
The large windows provide unobstructed views of the field.
The works are a welcome update for the sporting and community clubs that are based at the Springfield Pavilion.
"Springfield is home to the Croydon Rangers Gridiron Club, is utilised as the training facility and function space by the Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL) Umpires Association and is also used by U3A Croydon who I'm sure will enjoy these facilities for many years to come.
"It is also home to our Vacation Care program run by our Children's Services team," Cr Symon said.
The redevelopment involved demolishing the old Springfield Hall, redeveloping the carpark and creating new footpaths around the pavilion.
The new structure was then built offsite in sections, craned in and erected in quick succession.
This style of construction minimises the impact onsite for both users and surrounding residents, meaning that the brand-new facility was ready to use in a much quicker timeframe.
Progress images of the Springfield Pavilion.
Croydon Rangers Gridiron Club President, James Arthur, said the club have called Springfield home for over three decades.
"We are already reaping the rewards that the new Springfield Pavilion is offering the Croydon Rangers Gridiron Club.
"The new facilities are attracting much greater participation numbers than we have seen in the past, and while other Gridiron Victoria clubs have struggled to retain numbers and attract new members during the extensive COVID lockdown (it was 770 day between games for gridiron in Victoria), we are seeing our biggest ever men's and under 16s numbers, and our biggest under 19s number since the early 2000s.
"Add to that the number of former players and supporters that have visited the ground over the last week to explore the new facility, we have seen much bigger crowds than we usually are able to attract.
"We genuinely believe that this is now the best facility for playing and spectating gridiron in the state and has to be in the conversation for the best in the country," Mr Arthur said.
Croydon Rangers helmet on display in Springfield Pavilion's kitchen facility.
The female-friendly change rooms and match-day facilities were much needed amenities, with the increase in female participation in Gridiron growing each year.
"The new facilities will make it much more welcoming for new players, regardless of age or gender," Mr Arthur said.
"It will also make it much more comfortable for people to come and watch the sport.
"We expect to be able to leverage the new facility to attract new members. American Football really is a great sport in which people of all shapes and sizes can not only participate, by excel, and we really hope to drive the growth of the sport in Victoria. We are constantly establishing pathways to the USA, with players regularly heading over to play high-school or even college football," Mr Arthur said.
Croydon Oval is also the home of the Eastern Football Netball League Umpires Association. Tenants of the Springfield Sporting Pavilion for close to 30 years, the new facilities have also helped ensure that the female EFNL umpires have the privacy and space they need.
Peter Carey, Head of Umpiring at EFNL Umpires Association, feels positive about the future with the pavilion now complete.
"The redevelopment is fantastic for the EFNL Umpires Association. It will provide state-of-the-art facilities, accommodating all of our female and male members. The generous social rooms will offer opportunities for the umpires to hold social functions and come together as a group. It may also encourage new umpires to join our club.
"It also offers another separate trainer's room for umpires to access our trainers for treatment and massages," Mr Carey said.
Councillor for the Wicklow Ward, Tasa Damante, is especially proud of the new facilities.
Cr Mike Symon, Mayor of Maroondah, Sonja Terpstra, Member for Eastern Metropolitan Region and Cr Tasa Damante of the Wicklow Ward at the official opening of Springfield Pavilion.
"We are lucky to have so many great sporting facilities in Wicklow, and the new Springfield Pavilion is the jewel in our crown.
"We hope to see lots of the community enjoying and using the new facilities as more and more group sports return to training and competitions," said Cr Damante.
U3A Croydon President Neil Rose is also keen to explore the new facilities, occupying the different meeting and multipurpose rooms in the new space.
Annie Cutler, Neil Rose and Sue Martin from U3A Croydon.
"With the current redevelopment of the Cheong Park Pavilion, we have relocated about 14 classes to the Springfield Pavilion. We use the first floor from Monday to Thursday," Mr Rose said.
U3A Croydon has almost 900 members and conduct over 100 wellbeing activities and classes for elderly residents.
"We hope to use these new facilities to encourage many more members of the Maroondah community to join us and pursue a more active and productive lifestyle," said Mr Rose.
But for the clubs, it's all about being able to play their much-loved sports again.
The Croydon Rangers are rearing to go said President Arthur James.
"Honestly, I'm just excited about getting the opportunity to play again!
"I became the Club President in January 2020, and until a month ago, I hadn't had the opportunity to preside over a single game!
"We're in the middle of a five-week stretch of games at home and are excited to welcome the other Clubs across the league to our facilities. And of course, we're targeting Championships for all our teams!" Mr Arthur said.
The ENFL Umpires Association are equally as excited to start their season.
"With the best part of two years without any community sport, the EFNL Umpires Association are genuinely excited to kick off the 2022 season.
"This coupled with these excellent facilities we can't wait for it all to start," Mr Carey said.
Springfield Sporting Pavilion is located in Croydon Park.
