The battle for the marginal seat of Ripon moved to the netball courts last week when local Liberal member Louise Staley announced an election commitment of $450,000 for the restoration of two courts at the home ground of the Maryborough Rovers.
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Her main challenger, Labor's Martha Haylett, has promised to fund courts for another of the town's three netball teams.
Ms Staley won Ripon with a margin of just 15 votes in 2018 and, thanks to an electoral redistribution, is now contesting a notionally Labor seat. She will need a swing of 2.7 per cent to retain it.
Her pledge would fund the upgrade of two disused courts to be used jointly by the Maryborough Rovers and the Maryborough Tennis Club.
Rovers' treasurer Rachael Raven said the state government had allocated $400,000 to the upgrade project in May but the clubs subsequently learnt from the shire the funding was only enough to do "one court with lighting or two courts without it".
Ms Raven said her club had gone without home courts for seven years and lost an estimated $10,000 a year as a result.
"We're grateful we might have a court after seven years," she said. "We're grateful for the support and for having the need recognised.
"And it'd just be nice to have all the girls and footballers together."
Ms Staley's election promise also included an uncosted program to provide vouchers worth up to $200 for children to join sporting clubs or participate in recreational activities. Ms Haylett recently pledged $1 million for women's sporting facilities in Maryborough which forms part of the Central Goldfields Shire's masterplan for Princes Park.
