We adopted the Emil Madsen Reserve Master Plan in 2019 which outlines the facilities needed for the user groups that call Emil Madsen their home.
The Master Plan includes a range of improvements including three competition-level soccer pitches (recently completed) and a shared pavilion to service the soccer pitches, netball courts and rear AFL/Cricket oval, a new AFL/cricket/netball pavilion to replace the existing non compliant football pavilion, new cricket nets and netball courts and improvements to the reserve access, internal road network and parking.
In 2018, two senior competition-size soccer pitches were installed, along with the portable change rooms, allowing the Mount Eliza Soccer Club to relocate to the
Reserve in 2018. However, the soccer club is fast outgrowing the portable change rooms and is in desperate need of a new pavilion to service its large and growing participation base – both male and female.
Due to the high level of participation, the club is currently forced to split its training and match day operations across Emil Madsen Reserve and Mount Eliza Secondary College. The third and final soccer pitch is currently being constructed and will reduce the need for the club to split its activities, once ready for use for the 2023 winter season.
The Mount Eliza Football Netball Club teams are also currently using short-term portable change facilities.
Since the netball courts at Emil Madsen were constructed in 2018, the netballers have not had compliant change rooms to use. This project will support female participation in sport by providing much-needed change rooms close to the courts.
While the main tenant of the new pavilion will be the Mount Eliza Soccer Club, it will also provide change rooms for the Mount Eliza Football Netball Club, Mount Eliza Junior Football Club, Mount Eliza Cricket Club – each with their large, diverse membership bases.
The development of a new AFL, Cricket and Netball Pavilion will provide a new home base for the senior football/netball club, junior football club and cricket club and will replace the existing facilities that have poor accessibility, no unisex change facilities and limited gathering spaces. Locating the building centrally between the main playing and training facilities for these clubs will also enable greater access to all users.