Competition for space on sportsgrounds across the Lower North Shore can be fierce. We look at the issues faced by codes, and what can be done about it.
Two of the most important people in the Northern Suburbs Football Association (NSFA) don’t score goals or stand between the posts attempting to stop them.
But without them, not a ball would be kicked this winter.
The NSFA’s Adam Cloughton and William Abbott are charged with scheduling 655 soccer games, involving 1,310 teams and close to 18,000 players across 139 fields.
If it sounds a logistical nightmare, that’s because it is, especially when you factor in player demand exceeding the supply of sporting fields.
On the Lower North Shore, it’s fast reaching crisis point.
Long gone are the days where all matches could be packed into a Saturday, with the increase in player numbers and a dearth of grounds forcing sporting officials to stretch competitions across three days – Friday night, and all day Saturday and Sunday.
“There are so many challenges in putting together the draws,” says NSFA chief executive officer Kevin Johnson. “It’s a huge task, and Adam and Will do a great job.
“They are our unsung heroes.”
Mr Johnson says that over the past three years, the NSFA has increased the number of Friday night matches to get the full list of fixtures completed across a weekend.
“For the last six years or so, we have required men’s all-age and over 35s and 45s teams to play one or two Sunday fixtures each season, as there are not enough grounds to play all fixtures on Saturdays.”
Then there is the additional challenge of finding enough space for teams to train during the week, putting more strain on an already overloaded system.
It is particularly acute in the winter months and an even bigger nightmare when wet weather strikes.
Stephen Alderton’s job title at Willoughby City Council – ‘open space and recreation lead’ – literally spells out his role in determining how the 23 fields on his watch are utilised.
“The demand for sportsground space on the Lower North Shore exceeds the supply of available venues,” he confirms to North Shore Living.
“In particular, this is a challenge for facility providers on weeknights throughout winter. Evenings see a peak demand for sports such as rugby, football and AFL training under floodlights, as well as indoor court space for sports such as basketball, badminton and futsal.
NSFA chief Kevin Johnson says that there are few greenfield sites to increase the number of sportsfields. Image credit: NSFA
“With the population forecast to continue to increase, demand will continue to exceed supply, placing even greater strain on the existing facilities.”
It’s a concern echoed at neighbouring Ku-ring-gai Council, which oversees 75 sportsfields at 52 locations up and down the North Shore.
The depth of the problem was clearly highlighted in a detailed review commissioned by the Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC). NSROC includes Willoughby, North Sydney, Lane Cove and Ku-ring-gai councils.
A Ku-ring-gai Council spokesperson said that based on population models, the review found that up to the year 2026, the combined councils needed to find an additional 26 per cent in sports field supply.
The review warns that with without effective change, participants will be turned away from sport, resulting in a decrease in physical activity. This could lead to related health and disease issues. Increased costs of participation and accessibility of facilities will create inequity in participants.
Finally, the review warns that access to sport may become based on the capacity to pay, which could create a greater barrier to participation for lower income households.
Asked if he feared losing players if new space was not found, Kevin Johnson emphatically answers: “Yes, very much so.
“NSROC is forecasting a 40 per cent increase in demand by 2036. We have a limited ability to access new greenfield sites in our area.
“The increase in capacity will have to come from the reconfiguration of existing sites to get more playing fields, increasing the number of grounds with lighting, and a select number of synthetic pitch installations at strategically appropriate sites.”
The increased participation of women in AFL has created increased demand for sportsfields on the Lower North Shore. Image credit: Sydney North AFL
Then there is the added challenge of providing amenities for both sexes, with the explosion in the number of women playing organised sport giving administrators a ‘pleasant headache’ in accommodating the different needs.
Australian Rules Football is a prime example of a sport quickly outgrowing its original footprint.
“Australian Rules is rapidly rising in popularity in NSW, and much of this is driven by women and girls, who make up around one third of all participants in greater Sydney,” a spokesperson for AFL NSW/ACT says.
“We work closely with councils and local clubs to ensure we can accommodate all who want to play our game.
“We won’t be turning anyone away.”
One thing is clear – sporting codes on the Lower North Shore won’t be giving any ground as they search for more territory.
By Adam Lucius