Penrith City Council has completed the construction of a new amenities building at Bill Ball Oval in Cook Park, St Marys.

The former building has been replaced with a new facility featuring two modern change rooms, a change room for officials, canteen, storage, an accessible toilet, first aid and administration areas, and a public toilet to service the adjacent playspace.

Penrith Mayor Tricia Hitchen said the new amenities building was one of several projects planned to revitalise Cook Park’s sport and recreation infrastructure.

“Council recently installed outdoor fitness equipment and new LED floodlighting on two of the football fields.”

“We are also planning further upgrades for the park such as new football amenities and playing surfaces, additional car parking spaces, a walking circuit, and tree planting,” Cr Hitchen said.

“We want to elevate Cook Park into a high-quality precinct that can be enjoyed by everyone in the community from casual users right through to sports groups and athletes who use these facilities for training, competitions, and events.”

The upgrade was funded by Council in partnership with the NSW Government through the NSW ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Cricket Legacy Fund, Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW through the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund and the Penrith Cricket Club.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car said the new amenities building is an opportunity for more female players to follow their passion for cricket and represents another step forward for Cook Park.

“The new amenities building features change rooms that cater to women and young girls, breaking down a barrier to participation and helping to grow women's cricket,” Minister Car said.

“I’m excited to see Cook Park continue to be transformed into a first-class sporting precinct for St Marys.”

The recently installed outdoor fitness equipment in Cook Park provides the community with a variety of cardio and strength equipment, designed to be inclusive for a range of ages and abilities. The project was funded by Council and the NSW Government through the Community Building Partnership program.

The upgrades to Cook Park were identified through Council’s Sport and Recreation Strategy. For more information visit penrith.city/spros