It’s game on for feedback on Council’s draft sportsgrounds and facilities strategy

WCC media release: Tuesday 13 September 2022

A strategic plan that sets out Council’s intentions to provide quality, accessible and functional sporting and recreational infrastructure across the Wollongong Local Government Area will go on public exhibition for community feedback.

Last night, on Monday 12 September, Wollongong City Councillors voted to seek community feedback on the 44-page draft Sportsgrounds and Sporting Facilities Strategy 2023-2027, a high-level document that sets out the principles we’ll use when planning for sporting infrastructure into the future.

“We know how popular our sports fields, sporting and recreational infrastructure is, and there is so much community interest in these areas. We’re anticipating there will be a lot of interesting conversations about this draft strategy,’’ Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.

“It might come as no surprise to many, but across our city we’ve more than 9,300 people across our city who participate in football, or soccer as it’s also known. It’s our most popular sport and this is consistent with state and national trends.

“Coming in second is rugby league followed by netball, basketball, AFL, gymnastics and hockey but other pursuits like golf, swimming, skating and cycling aren’t captured in the data source and we know that these are also very much enjoyed in our city.

“The challenge this Strategy seeks to address is providing equitable access to sporting spaces and places that provide opportunities for grassroots participation, as well as the emergence of unstructured sports like skating, as well as traditional sports. We are focussed on prioritising limited resources to meet our community’s needs both now and into the future.’’

The draft Strategy was developed using a set of guiding principles; inclusive and accessible, participation, sustainable, partnerships and collaboration and safe.

The document’s vision is to “provide a diverse range of sustainable, functional infrastructure that supports active, safe and inclusive participation in sport and recreation across the City, and aligns with the city’s goal to have a healthy community by providing opportunities for recreation and lifestyle activities.

“We know exercise is important to our physical and mental wellbeing and there was so much engagement from our community earlier this year when our sportsgrounds had to remain closed as they were sodden from all the rain,’’ Cr Bradbery said.

“It was so apparent to us, and to the broader community, the value and importance of these spaces as a place to exercise, for social engagement and for mental wellbeing.

“This document clearly sets out how Council is looking to support our essential sportsgrounds and facilities into the future. We currently have 67 sporting venues including four athletics tracks to six baseball diamonds, 85 soccer fields and 77 netball courts. These are shared across the city, and the purpose of this document is to have a Strategy that can then be used to guide Council in the long term through the four-year Delivery Program, as well as in the more immediate future through our annual review and planning process.

“I’d encourage all those who have an interest in sportsgrounds and sporting facilities to  take the time to have a look through this draft Strategy, and to share their feedback on these plans with us. Our community’s diverse voices are such an important part of this process.’’

A key target for Council moving forward is to support equal and equitable access to sporting facilities, and to manage capacity issues.

“We have a passionate community who want to use our sports fields – and this is great,’’ Cr Bradbery said.

“But what we also have is a limited amount of space for sporting facilities so we need to find interesting and exciting ways to collaboratively make the most of sporting space. By diversifying the use of greenspaces, we’re able to provide access to more people and give our community more ways to exercise and socialise.

“In recent years we’ve invested heavily in improvements to local sporting amenities to support participation of women in sports and this draft Strategy makes it clear that we’re going to continue down this path.

“We’ve a proud sporting history in this city and while all of us can’t be the next Emma McKeon, Luke Wilkshire or Emma Tonegato, it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy giving our sporting passion a red-hot go.’’

The draft Sportsgrounds and Sporting Facilities Strategy 2023-2027 will be available for community feedback from Wednesday 14 September until 26 October 2022 on Council’s Join the Conversation pages on our website.