Enfield athletes now see the light

06 Jan 09 @ 03:59am by Matt Turner

GONE are the days of their athletes running alongside kerosene lanterns on winter nights after Enfield Harriers Athletic Club unveiled six new light towers.

Having had an unlit track for the past 50 years, club vice-president Kym Miller said the sight of a luminous reserve had already generated a ``unique buzz’’ among athletes and the wider community.

`` There’s no doubt that by having the lights, together with our new clubrooms, we now have the best suburban setup in Adelaide,’’ he said of the Chester St, Clearview, ground.

Mr Miller, a former state champion decathlete, said he expected the club to hold two or three major meets under the lights this year.

Enfield Harriers’ athletes will be forced to pay ``about 15 per cent’’ more in club fees next year to benefit from the floodlit track.

Australian hammer throw champion Darren Billett said he and his team-mates expected the fee rise. ``The club has to cover its costs nd realistically what we’ll
pay will still be cheap for what an athlete pays,’’ he said.

The $72,000 lights are expected to be run for two hours a night, three nights a week, at a cost of $1000 per year.

They were switched on for the first time at the Harriers’ Christmas barbecue on Thursday, December 11.

The installation of the lights follows the development of an $800,000 clubroom in 2006.