New football facility at Whanganui’s Wembley Park will be finished by November

A two-storey football facility at Whanganui’s Wembley Park is taking shape, with construction expected to be completed by November.

It is the first major capital project in the park since the 1970s.

The group behind the project is the Whanganui Football Charitable Trust, whose members have dedicated hundreds of hours to getting it over the line.

Trustee Bryan Stewart, an architect who drew the plans for free, said the build was more sizable than people expected.

It consists of two 250sq m floors and a 3m verandah running along the whole second floor – overlooking Wembley Park’s number-one pitch.

“I think people thought it would be a tin shed or something, but we’ve gone a little bit bigger than that,” Stewart said.

“There is still a lot to do.

“We’ve got the structure, but the fit-out is a huge thing, right down to painting and carpets and landscaping.”

Work got under way in the middle of last year, following endorsements from all of Whanganui’s football clubs, Whanganui District Council and park stakeholders.

Trustee Trevor Strong said the whole community had got behind the project, including main contractor GJ Gardner.

The construction budget is around $1.271 million but they were aiming to come in under that, Strong said.

“At the moment, we’ve fundraised around $830,000. That isn’t bad for a two-year campaign.

“NZCT [New Zealand Community Trust] and Whanganui businesses have been brilliant to us. We’ve also had some people [donate] from overseas and from within the club.

“We’re lucky. I think now they can see what they’re getting for their money, and its value. If you added everything up, the building would probably be valued at around $2m.”

Stewart, Strong and fellow trustee Mike Cronin have been involved with the Whanganui Athletic for decades, but the new facility is not just for their club.

Strong said at the end of the day, they wanted to build something the city could be proud of.

The trust has secured a 30-year lease for the site from Whanganui District Council, which oversees Wembley Park.

“It’s all for the benefit of football. This is what it’s all about,” Strong said.

“If you think about the Masters Games – people will turn up and just think, ‘Wow, look at this’. They won’t be worried about who owns it or who built it.”

GJ Gardner’s Heath Fitzgerald said it was great members of the Whanganui football community, with years of industry experience, could band together and deliver a project without excessive and unnecessary costs.

Cronin is the project manager and Strong, managing director of Evolve Lighting, has served as the principal fundraiser.

“The trust has done an amazing job making their collective vision a reality,” Fitzgerald said.

Strong said it had been hard work to get the project where it was but “when you start something, you’ve got to finish it”.

Beneath the main clubrooms are four changing rooms for male and female teams.

The verandah will be connected to the Roly Taylor stand next door.

“I hope the Whanganui community will be proud of this,” Strong said.

“They’ve donated heaps and stood by us. People have even rung me up and asked, ‘What can we give you?’.

“So far, everything is way above our expectations.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.