Clubhouse makeover kicks off Living Room

THERE’S no mistaking the building overlooking Coleman Park now thanks to a new mural complete with giant black and white soccer balls.
Home of the Georges River Thistle Football Club, the dilapidated Georges Hall clubhouse was selected for a makeover to kick off the 2022 season of ‘The Living Room’ which airs this Friday at 7.30pm on Channel 10.
In dire need of a facelift – from the 1970s hallucinogenic carpet and equipment piles, to the aptly named ‘cage’ that was to storage what fishnet gumboots are to farming, The Living Room’s Barry Du Bois really had his work cut out for him.
“Thistles is a great community club that does so well with its multiculturalism and girls programs but the clubhouse had certainly seen better days,” he said.
“So we added sheds, an outdoor bar and barbecue area, cleared out the inside and created a space for meetings and functions, installed a trophy and memorabilia cabinet and gave them room to grow.
“There were plenty of offers to help from the volunteers and big smiles especially when some Al League players dropped in to add football sparkle with some special training drills.”
The former Moorebank Rams player said he was proud to give the clubhouse a new lease of life.
“We got a real kick out of it,” he said.
Gobsmacked with the results, Thistles’ manager David Lidgard said he cried with happiness.
“We’ve got such a great family environment but certainly had some storage issues and The Living Room has taken care of everything – from the easy-to-clean lino and space for our 1958 jersey display, to the tables and chairs and outside area,” he said.
“I hope it encourages more families to start a healthy journey for their kids in sport as well as inspiring other clubs in our Bankstown District Amateur Football Association (BDFA).
“We can’t thank them enough.”