"IT'S going to be life-changing for the club, especially for the women's league."
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That's what Bathurst Bushrangers player Amelia Wright says about an announcement that dedicated change rooms for female players will be built at the club's George Park precinct base.
"We've been really hoping for something like this to come along and the club have done everything we can to put us in the right position for this and I think it's only going to make the women's league even bigger and support that women's aspect of the club and the juniors as well - and the men's, in the long run," she said.
"It's only going to improve the entire league, especially in Bathurst."
The announcement on Friday of a NSW Government grant of just under $530,000 for the change rooms for the Bushrangers followed the announcement on Tuesday of a NSW Government grant of $407,000 for a similar addition to the Bathurst Bulldogs Rugby Club's clubhouse at Ashwood Park.
Bushrangers president James King said four new change rooms will be built, incorporating showers, basic amenities and toilet cubicles.
The project will also include an umpires' room and storage room.
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"When the facilities here were built in the past 10 years or so, there was no women's competition," Mr King said.
There are now more than 100 female footballers in Bathurst in the competition across two clubs, he said.
"It's a bit of a makeshift scenario at the moment [with the club's facilities]," Mr King said.
"You'll see the girls, once they finish their games, they'll actually be sitting on the hill, watching the senior men's, and they're still in their strips and so forth.
"They haven't had the chance to refresh. It's not the most comfortable situation from that perspective.
"By doing this [building the new facilities], you're encouraging more people to participate in the sport."
Mr King said the club didn't yet have a timeline for the construction.
"Plans aren't with council at this point in time," he said. "It's very much a concept at this stage."
MP Paul Toole and NSW Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women, Bronnie Taylor, were at the Bushrangers' clubhouse for the announcement about the funding.
The money has come from the Stronger Country Communities Fund.
