Bomaderry Tigers welcome multi-million dollar make over of Artie Smith Oval

Shoalhaven City Council will spend $14 million upgrading the playing surface and associated facilities at the oval, which for the past 40 plus years has been the home of the Tigers.

Along with a new playing surface for Australian Football, five turf cricket wickets will be installed as part of the upgrade and a new pavilion area, which will incorporate a clubhouse and change rooms and various other facilities.

A plan to start work on the long-mooted plan, which has been in the works since before 2012, means the Tigers' current clubhouse which was officially opened in 1984 and built by local tradesmen and club members, has to "make way for progress".

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"It's sad," said longtime club member, treasurer and life member Neville "Sticks" Hickmott, "but it is, what it is".

"We don't want to stand in the way of progress and that's what this will definitely be."

Even though the Tigers have been playing out of the Nowra Showground over the past couple of seasons, the club has still used the complex for training and the clubhouse for its after match functions.

The Tigers will vacate their "beloved clubrooms" by the end of this month (October).

"Sure, it will be a sad day - lots of good memories here over the years," Hickmott said.

"We've celebrated a lot of success here and also drowned our sorrows at times.

"Celebrating the many premierships has been great and we won't lose those memories.

"Hopefully when the upgrade is complete we'll just have a new place to continue those memories and proud history."

Over the years there have been lots of functions and celebrations at the clubrooms and not just football events. The clubrooms have played host to fundraising events, engagement parties, anniversaries - you name it.

Of course it was also home of the club's famous Whooa Cup fundraising event.

"Lots of good memories, mind you we can't go into some of them," he laughed.

"People have said to me it must be gutting to see this happen - but honestly it's served its purpose - we've had some great times and have great memories and those memories don't cease to exist.

"However, the thought of my kids, grandkids and other local kids being able to play on a premier oval far outweighs what we're going to lose."

Hickmott said he's hopeful the tender for the project will soon be announced and work will get underway on the upgrade, which will include the "bulldozing" of the current clubrooms, which have to make way for the planned work.

Artie Smith Oval itself will be reconfigured to run more south to north, rather than the east to west, as it does at the moment.

The playing surface will be leveled, new drainage and irrigation installed along with five cricket wickets in the centre.

Where the Tigers' clubhouse is currently located will eventually become the home to six or eight practise wickets, half being turf and half synthetic.

Tigers' president Tony McCann said he was excited by the prospects of a new complex.

"They are saying it will eventually be better than North Dalton Park in Wollongong and be the envy of all sports clubs on the South Coast," he said.

"We'd certainly like to see that."

The plans will also see a new clubhouse and grandstand, massive-size change rooms, timekeeper rooms, medical rooms, umpires rooms, plenty of storage, a new electronic scoreboard and a picket fence around the oval as well as upgraded car parking.

The Tigers are hopeful of being able to continue their long association with the oval and call the new clubhouse home.

"The future looks bright for AFL and cricket and it's fair to say both sports need a shot in the arm to get things rolling along again," Mr Hickmott said.

"I think having a premier oval like this will be the catalyst to get things moving again."

The Tigers started forming as a club in 1969 and took to the field for the first time in the 1970 season.

Hickmott, who arrived at the club in 1976, after being posted by the navy to HMAS Albatross, said he believes the club has always played out of Artie Smith Oval.

"While I'm not 100 per cent sure of the early years, I know from '76 onwards we have always played at Artie Smith," he said.

"The early history is a bit vague and there aren't many from that time still around to fill in the gaps.

"I do know they initially trained at Thurgate Oval in Bomaderry and then were 'gifted' the oval to use.

"And from then on it's become the spiritual home of the Tigers."

The clubhouse was the brainchild of Peter Cobble and Doug Cornish, who chased funding and organised local builders who agreed to work at cost, with club members providing "the unskilled labour" for the building which was "tacked on" to the already, in place, change room complex.

"There was a lot of hard work, a lot of weekends spent getting blisters and, of course, a few beers along the way," Hickmott said.

The clubhouse was officially opened in 1984.

"Prior to the clubhouse, in the early days, we'd come and train for two hours and then stand around a trailer with a few eskies for a few more hours dissecting the weekend's games," Hickmott said.

"What worked, what hadn't - all this in the middle of winter - it got bloody cold at times.

"We were really excited about having a clubhouse."

Although coming close on a couple of occasions, the club had to wait until 1989 to taste premiership success in the top grade.

It sparked a purple patch in the early 2000s, winning titles in '04, '06, '07, '08 and 2010, along with reserve grade flags in '03, '04, '06 and 10.

The club expanded, entering juniors sides in 2000, and has tasted considerable success over the years and in 2018 a women's team was added. That same year the club secured three premiership flags, including the inaugural women's crown.

"The women have added a whole new dynamic to the club," McCann said.

"We have always said we are a family club and it has made it even more so now.

"We have mums playing with daughters, husbands and wives playing AFL and quite a few high school students and older girls playing. It's been fantastic.

"They show so much enthusiasm, camaraderie and spirit. They just love the place."

Hickmott laughs when current players complain about the playing field "being a bit hard".

"They have no idea," he said.

"It wasn't called 'Hardy Artie' for nothing. This, now is great.

"Back in the day I always likened playing at Artie Smith like playing, training or kicking a footy about in a car park - there wasn't much difference, it was pretty hard.

"There were times there were more bindies out there than grass.

"I find it amusing when guys today complain that it's a bit hard.

"It's certainly come a long way and when the redevelopment is complete it will be superb.

"It will be nice to see my grandkids one day play on that surface."

It is hoped work will be completed on the upgrade by mid-2023, with the Tigers hopeful of taking to the field for the start of the 2024 season, with possibly a couple of cricket games prior to that.

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