As part of the 2014/15 Sport Facility Program Kevin Humphries has announced $6450 for the Moree Motorcycle Club.

President Peter Taylor said the funding would go towards the construction of a female shower block at Boolooroo Raceway.

“The existing showers are utilised as a communal shower for males so women have had to travel back to town for a shower,” Taylor said.

“The sport of motocross is attracting more females and we are getting more people camping at the grounds,” he said.

“In order to host a major state title event we need to construct dedicated female showers.”

An event like this could attract about 500 riders to the town Taylor said.

“The long-term benefits mean we can attract larger events, meaning locals don’t have to travel long distances to mainly metropolitan areas. And these larger events would be beneficial for the club’s fundraising to help cover costs of maintenance.

“The installment of a seperate female shower facility will resolve our duty of care for female participants to allow them to shower seperately without a need for a guardian to supervise the shower block during emergency/medical occurrences or for general use during race events,” Taylor said.

“We also hope it will encourage larger club memberships.”

There are about 100 club members at the moment. These include two or three different groups of riders from areas that don’t have a home track such as Walgett and Lightning Ridge.

“Inverell has a very strong club and Narrabri has a lot of kids this year too,” Taylor said.

“We have about six or seven girls this year and the sport is becoming more popular.

“We had about nine new juniors participating in a coaching clinic recently, including several girls, where they learnt the basics and about applying for a motocross license. It’s promising to have a heap of juniors coming up,” Taylor said.

The club will host their first race at Boolooroo this Sunday, and monthly thereafter.

A charity event will be held for the Upper Horton club in April which usually attracts about 400 riders from across the state and areas such as Brisbane.

“That’s a popular ride and always a great weekend,” Taylor said.