Mirboo North stadium call

FORMER star Opal Belinda Snell is throwing her support behind the campaign for a new basketball stadium and gymnasium in her hometown of Mirboo North.

“It’s definitely time for an upgrade,” she declared after signing a petition calling for that to occur.

The petition was initiated by member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien who was delighted to have the Mirboo North born and raised Belinda stop by to lend support, something she was keen to provide.

“I spent many years training up there and it’s much the same, that hard floor, so I’m on board and let’s get a new stadium for Mirboo North,” Belinda said.

The current floor is far removed from modern-day timber sprung surfaces, being simply vinyl-covered concrete.

While the court is used for local competition run by the Mirboo North Basketball Association (MNBA), as well as by the town’s junior and senior schools and a number of other sporting and community groups, it has only a three-quarter-sized playing surface and limited surrounding room.

“We run a competition every year and we’ve got a number of age groups and the current court is very limited in terms of spectators,” MNBA president Kathryn Smith said.

There is no room for seating at court level and only one court.

Kathryn went to school in Mirboo North and said everything remains as she remembers it.

“The facilities haven’t changed in the last 20 years, other than a bit of paint, so the stadium is very outdated,” she said.

Kathryn added that there have been many instances of the roof leaking, and at one stage a tin outer wall came apart, requiring repair.

The wall issue forced a temporary closure of the facility, with players driven onto the senior school’s outdoor court for a week or two.

The president explained that as well as being outdated, the stadium was designed as a school gym rather than as a basketball centre, accounting for its undersized dimensions.

Toilet and change facilities are also in need of replacement, with Danny describing them as “putrid”.

That is not a reflection of the cleaning staff who work hard to keep the amenities, particularly the male toilets, in satisfactory condition despite the facilities’ advanced age.

While it is not the first attempt to get a new stadium and gym facility for Mirboo North, it is hoped sustained momentum on this occasion will lead to much-needed action following the petition’s presentation.

“This petition draws to the attention of the Legislative Assembly the poor state of the gymnasium and stadium at Mirboo North schools, the town’s only stadium and requests that the Legislative Assembly calls on the Andrews Labor Government to fund a new stadium and gym facility for Mirboo North,” it is stated.

Danny said community members hold a variety of views on what the new facility should entail and where it should be built.

“This is a slightly unusual situation in that the school facility is the only stadium in town, so it is a mixed education and community use venue,” he said.