$250k pledge backs Sharks’ senior football push

Armstrong Creek Football Netball Club president Chad Dunscombe and Labor candidate for South Barwon Rebecca Thistleton. Photo: Tahlia Sinclair.

Armstrong Creek Football Netball Club’s pathway to senior football would receive a $250,000 boost under a re-elected Labor government, with upgrades at Central Boulevard Reserve aimed at strengthening the club’s push towards entering AFL Barwon’s senior competition.

Labor candidate for South Barwon Rebecca Thistleton announced the election commitment on Tuesday.

The funding would deliver an electronic scoreboard, netball benches, a timekeepers’ box and a kitchen upgrade.

Armstrong Creek Sharks president Chad Dunscombe said the improvements were an important step as the club works towards joining a senior competition in about 2030.

“It’s a long journey and a lot of hard work, but news like this is huge for us,” he said.

“We have to get everything ticked off. It’s a very long process and I’ve been asked for many years, ‘When are we coming into seniors?’, but I can say I can actually see the end – or the beginning – coming.”

The Sharks had more than 400 junior football and netball players registered during the 2026 winter season, with Dunscombe saying the club’s growth reflected the wider expansion of Armstrong Creek.

He said the upgrades would also help create more opportunities for the community, including through improved facilities and additional revenue from the kitchen upgrade.

Thistleton said the growing demand for football and netball in the area showed the importance of supporting clubs as the region’s population increased.

“We know that footy and netball is going gangbusters in Armstrong Creek right now and the volunteers and committee members put in so much work and effort,” she said.

“We want to make sure that we’re really backing them so that the club can keep on expanding.”

The upgrades at Central Boulevard Reserve would also benefit co-tenants Armstrong Creek Cricket Club and Armstrong United Football Club.