The proposed stand will sit on the embankent at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve, overlooking the netball courts.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
At Mooroopna Recreation Reserve, spectators often have to choose their allegiance: court or field.
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But a bold new vision from Mooroopna Football Netball Club could change that — and potentially redefine the viewing experience in local sport.
Mooroopna president Bill Dowling stands where generations of supporters have balanced themselves along the northern slope above the netball courts.
It’s a well-trodden patch, but also a hazard.
“It’s dangerous as it is now because people stand there,” Dowling said.
“If it’s wet and slippery, people don’t stand there — but they do if there’s a final or a big crowd, and it’s bloody dangerous.”
So the club is taking matters into its own hands, launching a major fundraising effort through the 2025 Toyota Good for Footy Raffle to construct a new northern stand.
The concept?
Tiered seating overlooking the netball courts, complete with a top-level walkway — a vantage point that offers a rare dual-code view: footy to the south, netball to the north.
“We’re looking to build new seating looking down towards the netball courts,” Dowling said.
“We’d also like a walkway at the top of that seating so you could potentially look at the football on one side and netball on the other.”
It’s a modest piece of sports architecture, but one that could transform the match-day atmosphere.
Mooroopna Recreation Reserve's slope overlooking the netball courts is a potential hazard when wet.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Already, Lloyd Payne — chair of the MRR committee — is sketching out concept designs.
The club doesn’t yet have a price tag — that will come once Payne’s drawings are finalised — but the fundraising message is clear: this is where the money’s going.
Backing the project is a familiar group of volunteers — Mooroopna Rotary, Mooroopna Kiwanis, Mooroopna Lions and Mooroopna Past Players.
And in the case of the latter group, its fingerprints are already all over the ground.
“The past players are very excited about the project,” Dowling said.
“They built the scoreboard, the coaches box and they built their own stand on the southern side of the ground, so they’re very happy to get involved in making these changes and helping with all of that.”
If all goes to plan, this project will turn a slope into a hub — and give fans of both codes a literal platform to watch Mooroopna rise.
