Giving Day: Waite clubrooms redevelopment
On 31 October the University will hold its inaugural Giving Day.
This will be a 24-hour fundraising challenge where our community has fun, raises awareness about the benefits of philanthropy, and has the chance to make a gift to the cause they are most passionate about at the University of Adelaide.
The stories on these pages are three of the 14 featured funds for Giving Day 2023.
Gifts to our featured funds advance or enable important work, from improving our leading research capacity to protecting nature, empowering students, and uplifting our diverse communities.
Plans are in place for the Waite clubrooms to undergo major redevelopment in 2025 as part of the proposed masterplan for Waite Oval.
New 1,300 square metre two-storey clubrooms will offer participants four new unisex changerooms, adjoining showers and toilets, a high-performance gym, recovery facilities, referee rooms, and first-aid room.
The plans prioritise inclusion, safety and functionality for the sports clubs based at Waite, which include rugby, touch football, gridiron and soccer. It is also the home base for SA’s elite women’s rugby 7s team (the Adelaide University Roma’s), and the State’s only gay and inclusive rugby team, (the Adelaide University Sharks).
Kim Evans, President of Adelaide University Rugby Union Club, says the new facility is designed for modern day sport and supporting the University’s sporting community:
“We’re a big community, including students, adults, kids, all genders, all sexualities, and many different cultures. It isn’t just about running around with a ball on Saturdays; we’re creating a welcoming, healthy space for everyone, not just in terms of getting out there and becoming fit and strong, but also for growing as a person in emotional and psychological safety.”
The first stage will also see new social spaces including a function room, bar, café, kitchen, grandstand, and public toilet facilities.
This stage is estimated to cost $6 million, of a $13 million total project.
The following stages will see the adjacent playing fields completely resurfaced, with a new irrigation system installed. High lux sports lighting will illuminate the perimeter, offering expanded and safer training opportunities. A new bitumen car park will also be added.
“In the new facility we’ll have a café offering, with revenue helping to future proof the clubs that use that space. It will improve the student experience and offer a place for alumni to reconnect,” Michelle Wilson, General Manager of Adelaide University Sports and Fitness Association, says.
Kim Evans has been involved in rugby for 25 years, and with University sports for eight years, and is excited about what this redevelopment means for the future.
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