The one-metre and three-metre springboards at the Lambton venue, which is the only diving facility in the Hunter region, will be replaced in the new year.

They will be funded by a $65,000 Buildings Partnerships grant through the NSW government with a $5000 contribution from Hunter United and another $5000 coming from Diving NSW.

"It's something that's well overdue," Brooker, who is also the board of Diving Australia and on the FINA technical diving committee, said.

"They're really not in very good condition now after being exposed by the sun and weather. It certainly takes a toll on them. They really should be changed more regularly than that but it's quite expensive.

"This is a great makeover for the facility but, ultimately, it would be nice to have an indoor venue that we could access."

At the moment, divers who wish to pursue the sport at an elite level must travel to Sydney to train through the winter months when Lambton Swimming Pool is closed.

"One of the big issues we've always faced is it's hard to get consistency of training being an outdoor venue that closes predominantly for six months of the year," Brooker said. "Even when you are training, you're fighting with the elements plus fighting to get pool time because other sports are using it too.

"So it is difficult. If you want to excel in the sport you've got to be training full-time. To do that, after a certain period, we need to move them off to Sydney. But, ultimately, if we can get an indoor venue or have Lambton enclosed, it would make the world of difference."

Brooker said the club had around 100 members last year, ranging in age from eight to 65, and has produced numerous top-level athletes over the years including Athens Olympic silver medallist Mathew Helm.

Competitor-turned-coach Monique Collin is familiar with the sacrifices it takes to pursue the sport competitively.

The 21-year-old has been diving with Hunter United since she was seven years old and qualified for her first age nationals competitions at eight.

"Anybody who competed at nationals did have to go to Sydney to train during winter," Collin said. "We usually drove down once a month and stayed for an entire weekend and squeezed in about four training sessions to try to keep up. It's definitely a lot of commitment."

For those wanting to give the sport a go, Hunter United will hold a come and try camp at the beginning of January at Lambton Swimming Pool.

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