The Nowra Albatross Vikings AFL club (NAVAC) and the Shoalhaven Giants junior's AFL club are welcoming the NSW government's approval of a $255,872 grant for desperately needed upgrades to West Street Oval's lighting.
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NAVAC President Adam Weller had been with the club since he could walk and said upgrades were well overdue.
"Everything's been as it is since the club opened fifty years ago so it's good to see something change for the better," he said.
"Upgrading of the lights is priority and we're hoping that we can upgrade the toilets in the changerooms if we have enough funds left over because they've been around for fifty years and haven't been looked after at all."
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NAVAC was formed when the Nowra Blues amalgamated with the Albatross demons.
"Both teams were on the brink of not having a side so at the time it was better for both teams to come together to make two good strong sides," said Mr Weller.
"That happened for the first couple of years but as always, players move on.
"So hopefully with all the upgrades, we can attract some new faces and old faces back into the club."
The money will go toward knocking down six old halogen light poles and replacing them with four modern energy-saving LED light poles.
"We recently had a night game here and it was pretty much impossible to see because there were dark spots all over the ground," said Mr Weller.
"This upgrade will triple the lighting and seeing as though the club pays for the electricity, it will save us a lot of money because it is cheaper to run."
Mr Weller extended a big thank you to the government for supporting the club.
"We're just a small club. We've got one men's side and one women's side. Plus the juniors are coming through and they're growing every year," he said.
"It's a massive boost for the club and community in general."
The Infrastructure Grants Program supports communities in the building, renovation and fit out of infrastructure. Funding is available for arts and cultural infrastructure , projects that enhance facilities used to shelter communities and provide emergency services and for sport and recreation and essential community infrastructure.
These grants are made possible by the Clubgrants Category Three Fund which reinvests a contribution from the state's registered clubs gaming machine profits back into community projects.
