FOOTBALL Wagga president Tony Dobbin says the installation of more lights at Rawlings Park will give the code badly needed flexibility and options in game and training scheduling after the project began this week.
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Work commenced on the installation of 200-lux lighting on three further fields at Football Wagga's base on Monday, increasing the number of fields with lighting to six.
The project is being funded by a grant of $460,000 from the federal government's 'Light Up The Field' program, and is penciled in to be completed well before Football Wagga's season fixtures begin.
Most Pascoe Cup men's first grade fixtures have been scheduled for Sundays in the past, but it could mean more games are played on Friday and Saturday nights.
Dobbin described Football Wagga's field availability situation as "dire" when the grant was announced in May, and said the increase in fields for night fixtures and training is critical going forward.
"To have another three fields available for training and night matches is incredible for us," he said.
"It's not just the clubs, but our academy teams are always struggling to find grounds at night, and it's doubled our capacity to do that.
"The lux lighting (to be installed on fields two, three and four) is 200-lux, which is certainly NPL (National Premier League standard, and used to be A-League standard.
"I would anticipate more Pascoe Cup matches (on those fields) and we could have up to two matches on a Friday or Saturday night.
"It means third and fourth grade men will have the chance to play more games on Friday and Saturday night. We can move games around because of availability of referees and games being washed out, it gives us a hell of a lot more flexibility.
"It (installation) is a six or eight week exercise, we don't anticipate anything going wrong because it's relatively straightforward."
The lighting is the first major step in Football Wagga's grand plan for massive upgrades to Rawlings Park, with the ultimate goal a boutique stadium with a capacity of 3-5000.
Dobbin said providing spectator seating at Rawlings Park is "the next big thing".
"We've been looking at some removable seating," he said.
"With the expansion of the number of (Wagga City) Wanderers teams we're still going to struggle for grounds, but it gives them an opportunity as well.
"The grant's been fabulous as it's taken a bit of the pressure off.
"In terms of deferred matches, having those extra fields gives us more flexibility."
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