In 1997 the Emerald Leagues Club began construction on a facility which was to be a fully functional recreational facility offering such  services as bistro, public bar, working mans bar and gaming machines.  The organisers of the original project received $50,000 from a State Government Sports and Recreation Minor Facility grant - a    $75,000 contribution from the Emerald Shire Council - plus an invaluable contribution of voluntary Labour, materials and equipment from the business and football community.  It was expected that offers of lifetime membership to the club would be (and were) offered at $500 each to enable the committee to complete the project. Unfortunately this was around the same time that downsizing occurred throughout the mining industry.

We have determined that Emerald does not necessarily need another Licenced Recreational Club at this time and have changed the outcome for the facility to meet what we feel are more relevant areas of need.

We envisage that the complex will be used for purposes such as:

*  A training centre;
*  A gym;
*  A meeting and conference centre for many different professional, private
    and community organisations;
*  Reception centre, parties, club/work celebrations;
*  Fundraising venue for such things as fashion parades or cent sales;
*  Bingo;
*  Viewing stadium/grandstand;

To mention just a few.

We also expect that the complex will enable Emerald to attract more professional and semi-professional sporting bodies to the area.  It is not intended that the structure change too much from the initial concept as it could be a viable option to operate a licenced club in the future and therefore fulfil our initial obligation to life members.