Community
23 April, 2026
New grandstand goes up
HUNDREDS of hours of work from an army of volunteers has seen the Bloods unveil a new grandstand during Saturday’s home opener against Portland.
The area resting atop ‘The Hill’ over the Wayne Reicha Stand at Terang Recreation Reserve received a new lease of life following a fire in April 2025, which burned out the bar area.
The project was the culmination of work from around 40 people who gave up their time to ensure the town’s beloved club could offer a new experience for fans in Terang on game day.
An expansive undercover area featuring the bar, concrete flooring, heating and flat screen televisions drew in fans to watch the home team stride to a convincing win over Portland.
Club president Joel Crawley said the skilled team of volunteers had spent about a month, mostly on weekends and evenings during the off season, dedicating countless hours to ensuring the project would be ready for the weekend’s home opener.
“It’s unreal,” he said.
“From a club point of view, we’ve got a very big following – I think we’d be one of the biggest going around and the area is always full at home games, so we had to look after it.
“Having that kind of support brings in income for the club, so to get something like this built is great.”
Mr Crawley said the grandstand reflected the club itself – built thanks to the efforts of those giving their time and resources to support the community asset.
“I think country clubs are all about supporters and volunteers – so whatever way we can, we try and give back to them,” he said.
“The number of volunteers who helped was incredible.
“We have people who have their own businesses and workers, who paid their workers for the efforts but didn’t charge the club, which is actually just unbelievable.
“They were here after hours, on weekends or even during working hours when they had some time.
“The best part about it is it hasn’t cost the club one cent.”
Mr Crawley said he was trepidatious about naming those involved in bringing the grandstand to life, unwilling to overlook anyone involved in the massive effort.
What he did know is there was no chance the club could have afforded such improvements without such a spirited response from those who care more about making their club better than making a profit.
“We had 40, if not 50, volunteers up here,” he said.
“What I like about country clubs is, if you did something like this elsewhere, it’s probably going to cost you $200,000.
“It hasn’t cost a cent beyond the initial insurance money from the fire.”
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