Master Plan for Sporting Facilities May 2010

Demand Analysis Report Prepared for Alice Springs Town Council

Prepared by SGL Consulting Group

TA B L E O F C O N TE N TS

1 INTRODUCTION...... 1 1.1 Background ...... 1 1.2 Objectives ...... 1 1.3 M ethodology...... 2 2 THE SPORTING FACILITIES SCENE...... 3 2.1 EXISTING FACILITIES ...... 3 2.1.1 ...... 3 2.1.2 Anzac Oval...... 4 2.1.3 Ross Park...... 4 2.1.4 Jim M cConville PARK...... 4 2.1.5 Flynn Park...... 4 2.1.6 Rhonda Diano Park...... 4 2.1.7 Albrecht Oval...... 5 2.1.8 CDU Oval...... 5 2.2 USE OF EXISTING FACILITIES ...... 5 2.3 DEVELOPM ENT PLANS ...... 5 2.3.1 Basketball...... 5 2.3.2 ...... 5 2.3.3 Hockey...... 13 2.3.4 ...... 13 2.3.5 Australian Rules ...... 13 2.3.6 Athletics ...... 13 2.3.7 Baseball...... 13 2.3.8 Softball...... 14 2.3.9 Tennis...... 14 2.3.10 Rugby Union...... 14 2.3.11 Netball...... 14 2.3.12 Touch...... 15 2.4 ASSESSM ENT OF EXISTING FACILITIES...... 15 2.5 TENURE POLICIES ...... 15 2.5.1 M aintenance Responsibilities...... 15 2.5.2 Contribution to Operating Costs ...... 16 2.5.3 Tenure Arrangem ents ...... 17 2.5.4 Participation Levy...... 17 3 DEM AND FOR SPORTING FACILITIES ...... 19 3.1 DEM OGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ...... 19 3.1.1 2006 Census Data...... 19 3.1.2 ABS Population Projections ...... 19 3.2 SPORTING TRENDS...... 20 3.2.1 Trends in Australian Society...... 20 3.2.2 Trends In Sporting Facilities...... 21 3.2.3 Sum m ary and Im plications ...... 22 3.3 GROW TH IN SPORT...... 22 3.4 DEVELOPM ENT AND OPERATIONAL ISSUES ...... 23 3.4.1 Com m on Issues ...... 23 3.4.2 Facility or Sport Specific Issues ...... 23 3.4.3 Operational Issues ...... 24 3.5 SUM M ARY...... 24

M aster Plan for Sporting Facilities – Dem and Analysis Report

1 IN TR O DUC TIO N

1.1 BACKGROUND

Alice Springs is well serviced by a num ber of sporting facilities owned and m aintained by Alice Springs Town Council. Equity of access to, and participation in, sport and recreation is a vital com ponent of Council’s corporate strategy. Consequently, Council is conscious of the need to periodically review the growing needs of sports as they contribute to social inclusiveness, com m unity purpose, com m unity wellbeing and the local econom y.

The Northern Territory Governm ent and Council have a valuable and fruitful relationship, which results in securing sporting facilities to m eet sporting needs available in Alice Springs and throughout the Central Australian region.

Council has also established the Sports Facilities Advisory Com m ittee (SFAC) which provides the opportunity for sporting users to conduct their sport within their approved Council facility in a safe and equitable m anner. SFAC also adm inisters a Trust Fund, into which sporting groups pay annually and com piles an annual budget and works plan facility developm ent in consultation with sporting groups. In recent years it has becom e apparent that the standard of som e facilities is no longer adequate for use by both perm anent and casual users.

In addition a num ber of new or redeveloped facilities have been m ooted in Alice Springs including:

1 Stage two of the Alice Springs Aquatic and Leisure Centre, to include a m ulti-purpose indoor facility to be built adjacent to the existing outdoor pool. It can cater for indoor sports such as gym nastics, m artial arts and table tennis.

2 A m ultipurpose venue for rectangular field sports with athletics track and am enities.

3 Com pletion of the Traeger Park com plex.

Council now wishes to review the developm ent and m anagem ent of facilities, building on existing planning and projects, current needs analysis and potential investm ent over the next five to ten years.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

To prepare a com prehensive 5 – 10 year m aster plan for the developm ent and upgrade of existing and new Council owned facilities and provide a com prehensive strategy for the planning, developm ent and operation of these facilities through to 2019.

It is expected that the m aster plan will report on: ° Population growth ° Sports participation growth, including industry trends ° Recent dem ographic trends for the region, including indigenous participation, m ale and fem ale dom inated sporting trends and com parisons ° Sporting association growth and developm ent data ° Existing developm ent plans, including the Traeger Park M aster Plan ° Recent developm ent plans subm itted to the SFAC by local sporting bodies ° Analyse usage levels of current facilities in order to assess actual need

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The quality of the M aster Plan should be such that the ASTC can develop a strategic developm ent agenda for sporting facilities in Alice Springs through to 2015, drawing out opportunities, barriers and costs associated with projected options.

1.3 M ETHODOLOGY

The preparation of the m aster plan was undertaken over four phases:

Phase 1: Inception M eeting and Situation Analysis 1 Project Clarification 2 Sports Facilities Advisory Com m ittee W orkshop 3 Review docum ents 4 Operational Review 5 Site Inspection Phase 2: Consultation and Research 1 Council Interviews 2 Sporting Association and Club Interviews 3 Interviews W ith Other Stakeholders 4 Schools 5 Sporting Group W orkshops 6 Public Subm issions 7 Dem ographic Analysis 8 Trends in Sport and Recreation Participation Phase 3: Needs Assessm ent 1 Dem and Analysis Report 2 Feasibility Investigations 3 Feasibility Reports Phase 4: Final Report 1 Sporting Facilities M aster Plan 2 Presentation 3 Public Consultation 4 Final Report

This Dem and Analysis Report presents the results of the investigations conducted in Phases 1 and 2.

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2 THE S P O R TIN G FA C IL ITIE S S C E N E

This chapter reviews the existing provision of sporting facilities in Alice Springs.

2.1 EXISTING FACILITIES

This section provides a sum m ary of sporting facilities owned and/or m anaged by Council.

2.1.1 Traeger Park

Traeger Park is the m ain outdoor sports venue in Alice Springs, com prising five sporting facilities.

1 Oval The Oval is suitable for all turf field sports including Australian rules football and cricket. It is the only cricket oval in Alice Springs accredited by the Australian Cricket Board as suitable for first class cricket m atches.

Features of the oval include: ° Turf wicket ° Floodlighting suitable for high standard football and cricket m atches ° Grandstand ° Two story clubroom s incorporating change room s on the lower floor and social room s on the first floor

2 Baseball Diam ond This purpose built facility includes: ° Baseball diam ond with dirt running tracks ° Floodlights suitable for m atch conditions ° Practice pitching m ound ° Two batting cages ° Clubroom s

3 Hockey Pitches Hockey facilities include: ° Synthetic turf hockey pitch ° Grass hockey field ° Clubroom s located between the two fields ° Floodlighting suitable for m atch standard on the synthetic hockey pitch

4 Basketball Stadium Alice Springs Basketball Stadium includes a fully air conditioned, three court centre

5 Tennis Courts Facilities include: ° Ten floodlit hard courts ° Clubroom s ° Caretakers residence

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2.1.2 Anzac Oval

Anzac Oval is a significant m ulti purpose open space area. As well as being the base for rugby union and rugby league in Alice Springs, it is also the m ajor focus for com m unity festivals and events.

Sporting facilities include: ° Floodlit playing field m arked out for rugby league and rugby union ° Pavilion with change room s

2.1.3 Ross Park

Ross Park is the hom e of football (soccer) and netball. It is adjacent to Ross Park Prim ary School and its playing fields. Together the school and Ross Park includes: ° Eight floodlit netball courts and clubroom s ° Floodlit soccer pitch and club room s ° Playing fields with hard cricket wicket

2.1.4 Jim M cConville PARK

Jim M cConville Park is a large m ulti purpose playing field located adjacent to Alice Springs High School. Collectively, the playing fields on the High School and Jim M cConville Park com prise the largest single area of playing fields in Alice Springs.

Jim M cConville com prises: ° Four softball diam onds com plete with backstops, with an infield constructed of Αcrackadust≅ ° Australian rules/cricket oval with a concrete cricket pitch and a turf wicket (only used for the Im parja Cup) ° Cricket nets

The playing fields at Alice Springs High School also includes a baseball/softball diam ond, plus extensive playing fields.

2.1.5 Flynn Park

Flynn Park is located adjacent to Bradshaw School and a short distance from Jim M cConville Park.

Flynn Park com prises an irregular shaped, floodlit playing field with concrete cricket wicket. The field is m arked for touch which has four fields.

2.1.6 Rhonda Diano Park

Rhonda Diano Park (also called Head Street Oval) is the only sporting reserve in the northern suburbs of Alice Springs.

Rhonda Diano Park com prises a large grassed area which is used m ainly for athletics and cricket. Specialist athletics facilities include two jum ping pits, one shot area and a throwing cage. There is a concrete cricket pitch in the m iddle of the playing fields.

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2.1.7 Albrecht Oval

Albrecht Oval the newest sporting facility in Alice Springs is located in the suburb of Larapinta.

Albrecht Oval includes a picket fenced oval with turf wicket suitable for cricket and Australian Rules football. Am enities include relatively new change room s.

2.1.8 CDU Oval

CDU Oval is a joint com m unity and university facility located at Charles Darwin University. Facilities include a large playing field area which is not used for any form of com petition. The oval does not have separate toilets and change room s and has inadequate shade and car parking areas.

2.2 USE OF EXISTING FACILITIES

Table 2.1 sum m arises use of each facility by each sport. It clearly shows the high level of use of som e facilities, particularly those with floodlights.

2.3 DEVELOPM ENT PLANS

This section reviews key points in the Developm ent Plans subm itted by each sport and/or the outcom es of discussions held with the sport during the preparation of this m aster plan.

2.3.1 Basketball

Alice Springs Basketball Association has not subm itted a Developm ent Plan to Council. The points below were raised during the consultation program . ° M ajor issue is security due to vandalism to the fire doors. Consequently, these doors need to be replaced at a cost of approxim ately $12,000 each. ° W ant an outdoor basketball court to com plem ent the three indoor courts (low priority). ° Im prove spectator seating at the end of courts 2 and 3. ° Convert area under grandstand to storage areas. ° Resolve fire safety issue relating to m ezzanine floor grandstand, by installing em ergency exit stairs. ° Im prove catering by com bining bar and kiosk area. ° Redesign to im prove layout of office/adm inistration/kiosk area.

2.3.2 Cricket

° Im prove surface of hard wicket at Ross Park, as it is currently not playable. ° Replace synthetic wicket surface (G abba Grass) on CDU hard wicket. ° Im proved shade, and access to toilets and change room s at CDU Oval. ° Establish turf practice wickets at Traeger Park. ° Upgrade lighting at Traeger Park to 1500 lux to allow television cover. ° New cricket oval with hard wicket (required in very long term ).

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Table 2.1: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 1)

Facility Australian Rules Rugby League Softball Athletics Netball (W inter) (W inter) (W inter) (W inter) (W inter) Traeger Oval U15 com petition on Friday afternoon

U17, A and B Grade play on Saturday and Sunday Anzac Oval Play winter season

All junior and senior com petitions all day Saturday

2 clubs train M onday, Tuesday, W ednesday and Thursday nights Ross Park School I club training Ross Park Netball Junior and senior com petition on Saturday 9 am to 6 pm

Training and squads on M onday – Thursday 3 pm to 8 pm Jim M cConville Oval Senior training

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Table 2.1: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 1)

Facility Australian Rules Rugby League Softball Athletics Netball (W inter) (W inter) (W inter) (W inter) (W inter) Jim M cConville Diam onds Senior com petition on Saturday afternoon

Training Tuesday and Thursday evenings Flynn Park I club training Rhonda Diana Park Junior training Train Tuesday and W ednesday evening Thursday evening

Com petition Sunday m orning Albrecht Oval Junior com petitions and clinics on Saturday (u6 to U13)

Junior training W ednesday evening CDU Oval Junior training W ednesday evening

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Table 2.2: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 2)

Facility Hockey Basketball Tennis Soccer (All Year) (All Year) (All Year) (All Year) Traeger Hockey (synthetic) All senior and junior Junior and senior com petition and training coaching/training

M ain season in winter and social com petition in sum m er

Training M onday to Thursday to 8 pm

Com petition on Saturday (all day) Traeger Tennis M onday to Thursday 3 pm – 7 pm and Saturday m orning junior coaching

Friday evening junior com petition

M onday, Tuesday & Thursday night senior com petitions

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Table 2.2: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 2)

Facility Hockey Basketball Tennis Soccer (All Year) (All Year) (All Year) (All Year) Traeger Basketball 2 seasons (Feb – June and July Dec)

Com petitions M onday, Tuesday, W ednesday (to 9 pm ) Friday (to 10 pm ) night and Saturday m orning

Juniors train 3.30 pm Ross Park Soccer M ain season winter (11 a side) and social com petition in sum m er (7 a side)

Com petitions Saturday and Sunday all junior and senior grades in winter

U11 – Seniors play m id week, night com petitions in sum m er

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Table 2.2: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 2)

Facility Hockey Basketball Tennis Soccer (All Year) (All Year) (All Year) (All Year) Ross Park School Com petitions Saturday and Sunday all junior and senior grades

Junior and senior training

Flynn Park Junior and senior training

Table 2.3: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 3)

Facility Cricket Rugby Union Baseball Touch (Sum m er) (Sum m er) (Sum m er) (All Year) Traeger Oval A Grade com petition

U17 com petition Traeger Baseball Seniors play Thursday and Friday nights and train other week nights

U17 play on Saturday nights and train other nights Traeger Grass Hockey 1 club training

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Table 2.3: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 3)

Facility Cricket Rugby Union Baseball Touch (Sum m er) (Sum m er) (Sum m er) (All Year) Anzac Oval A Grade com petition

Plan to introduce junior com petition in 2009/10 sum m er

2 clubs train on Tuesday and Thursday nights Ross Park School U9 com petition Jim M cConville Oval B & C Grade com petition

U13/U15 com petition Jim M cConville Diam onds U17 train (at ASHS)

T ball to U12 train and play (Saturday m orning)

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Table 2.3: Use of Sporting Facilities (Part 3)

Facility Cricket Rugby Union Baseball Touch (Sum m er) (Sum m er) (Sum m er) (All Year) Flynn Park B & C Grade Play two seasons per com petition year; January to June, July to U13/U15 com petition Decem ber

4 Grades (m ale, fem ale, A & B m ixed) on W ednesday and Friday nights

Representative team training in M onday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday

Junior com petition for half the year Rhonda Diana Park B & C Grade com petition

U13/U15 com petition Albrecht Oval A Grade com petition CDU Oval B & C Grade 1 club training com petition

U13/U15 com petition

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° Shade, scoreboard and storage shed at Albrecht Oval. ° Floodlighting to 300 lux at Albrecht Oval (in the long term ) ° Upgrade lighting at Flynn Park to cater for im provem ents in standard of wom en’s cricket.

2.3.3 Hockey

° Increase run-ff area around synthetic pitch to m eet international m atch standard. ° Replace heavily worn areas of synthetic carpet around goals. ° Replace existing change room s and club room s. ° Install separate water supply to hockey pitches. ° Additional shade and seating around synthetic pitch.

2.3.4 Rugby League

° Renovate or replace the existing am enities and adm inistration building to include 300 seat grandstand, four change room s, first aid room , kiosk and club room s. ° Electricity supply to electronic scoreboard. ° Fencing around rugby pitch.

2.3.5 Australian Rules Football

° Public toilets at Traeger Park. ° Increase area between fence and football oval at Albrecht Oval from 3 m etres to 5 m etres, by m oving the picket fence. ° Install floodlights and goal posts at all venues used for training ° Expand office space at Traeger Park.

2.3.6 Athletics

° Upgrade toilets, change room s at Rhonda Diano Oval ° Upgrade jum ping pits and throwing circles at Rhonda Diano Oval. ° Establish a synthetic athletics track, including throwing and jum ping areas (location to be determ ined). ° Install floodlighting at Rhonda Diano Oval (to enable change to sum m er sport).

2.3.7 Baseball

° Additional shade required at Jim M cConville Oval. ° Need im proved water supply at Jim M cConville Oval to water the Crackadust or preferably replace with turf. ° Extend side line fences on three diam onds at Jim M cConville Oval. ° Floodlight at least one diam ond at Jim M cConville Oval.

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° Replace hom e run fence at Traeger Park. ° Im prove floodlighting at Traeger Park. ° New clubhouse over canteen.

2.3.8 Softball

Alice Springs Softball Association has not subm itted a Developm ent Plan to Council. The points below were raised during the consultation program .

° Upgrade/construct toilets, security lighting, change room s, shade at Jim M cConville Oval. ° Im prove crackadust surface (uneven) and top dress grass outfield. ° Floodlight diam ond(s) at Jim M cConville Oval.

2.3.9 Tennis

° Upgrade power supply to Traeger Park (insufficient supply to enable tennis court floodlights and oval floodlights to be used at the sam e tim e). ° M odify fence between tennis courts and oval to stop beer bottles being passed through the fence, and elim inate rubbish being blown under the fence. ° Resurface all courts, and elim inate growth of fungus. ° Increase run-off around all courts to m eet standard for Pro Circuit events.

2.3.10 Rugby Union

° Im prove the am ount of shade and spectator seating at Anzac Oval. ° Upgrade the am enities building to include clubroom s (and bar), install im proved security lighting, upgrade storage facilities. ° Provide additional toilets for use by rugby union spectators (ie not available for use by other users of the Oval). ° Provide power to scoreboard and increase security of scoreboard.

2.3.11 Netball

° On site carparking during com petitions (Saturday) is inadequate. Parking occurs across Undoolya Road on vacant land which requires crossing a busy road, and in the nearby shopping centre, which takes up shoppers car parking spaces. ° Cannot conduct National Cham pionships in Alice Springs as indoor courts with a sprung floor is required. However, Alice Springs can host NT Cham pionships. ° Am enities building is inadequate for num ber of players, coaches, officials and spectators (ie change room s and toilets). ° Inadequate shade exists around the courts. ° If netball continues to expand, additional courts m ay be required, although expansion on the current site is lim ited. Hence relocation to another site m ay be necessary.

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2.3.12 Touch

° Im prove security around building at Flynn Drive Oval. ° Potential to overuse Flynn Drive Oval due to availability of floodlights, which can result in deterioration of playing surface.

2.4 ASSESSM ENT OF EXISTING FACILITIES

Based on the outcom es of discussions with a range of sport’s stakeholders and after reviewing the available Developm ent Plans, a series of general observations are apparent: ° W hen Alice Springs Town Council was incorporated in 1971, the NT Governm ent upgraded all sporting facilities. Since that tim e very few new facilities have been constructed. Although facilities have been m aintained, m any have reached the end of their effective life, as they do not m eet contem porary standards. For exam ple people with disabilities do not have com plete and easy access to all facilities and buildings. ° Significant funds are required to renovate sports facility buildings to m eet current building codes. Hence it m ay be cost effective to dem olish and rebuild m any buildings. ° Flood lighting of outdoor m ulti purpose sports facilities is not adequate to cater for dem and, particularly for winter training (eg soccer and Australian rules football) and sum m er com petitions and training (eg athletics). ° M ost outdoor sports facilities lack adequate shade, and inappropriate and/or substandard toilets and change room s. ° Adequate playing fields are available for com petition and training for all sports, although som e lack adequate infrastructure (eg floodlighting at Albrecht Oval) or are sub standard (eg am enities at Rhonda Diano Oval). ° Alice Springs caters for m ost “m ainstream ” sports. Each sport, except athletics, has a facility which when constructed was adequate to cater for high standard com petition (eg Territory Cham pionships, interstate com petition and international com petition). ° Alice Springs has lim ited fem ale, outdoor sport facilities (eg netball is land locked and cannot be expanded, and toilets and change room s for softball and wom en’s soccer are inadequate). ° Alice Springs has two m ajor outdoor playing field facilities; Traeger Park and Anzac Oval. W hilst, Traeger Park has the necessary facilities to cater for all codes of football and cricket, only Australian rules football and cricket have declared a desire to use it for m ajor events. Both soccer and rugby have declared a preference to use Anzac Oval for m ajor events, and consider Traeger O val inappropriate.

2.5 TENURE POLICIES

M aintenance responsibilities, contribution to operating costs, tenure arrangem ents and the sports participation levy are sum m arised.

2.5.1 M aintenance Responsibilities

Council undertake m ost of the m aintenance of sporting facilities in Alice Springs including:

° M aintaining all turf playing fields (watering, m owing, fertilising etc)

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° M aintaining and cleaning toilets and am enities buildings ° M aintaining all floodlights ° M aintaining turf wickets ° M aintaining the basketball stadium

The responsibility of each sport for m aintenance and cleaning are sum m arised below:

1 Sports which undertake significant m aintenance

Hockey (regularly sweep synthetic pitch and professionally clean once a year, m inor m aintenance item s in club house) Softball (watering and raking infield at Jim M cConville Oval) Baseball (watering and raking infield at Traeger Park and Jim M cConville Oval)

2 Sports which undertake m inor m aintenance of the playing arenas

Cricket (m aintains practice nets at Ross Park, CDU Oval, Jim M cConville Oval and Braitling Prim ary School)

3 Sports which undertake m inor m aintenance and/or cleaning of club house

Tennis Australian rule football (Traeger park buildings only) Soccer (line m arking and cleaning club house at Ross Park) Rugby league (line m arking and cleaning club house at Anzac Oval) Basketball

4 Sports which do not undertake any m aintenance

Athletics

2.5.2 Contribution to Operating Costs

All clubs pay for the cost to operate floodlights based on power usage. Charges per kilowatt hour and per hour of use are:

Sports Ground Charge per kilowatt hour Charge per hour Traeger M ain Oval $0.65 Training level $60 Club Com petition $120 Professional $180 Full $275 Traeger Baseball Diam ond $0.39 $33 Flynn Drive $0.57 $15 Ross Park $1.06 $27 Anzac Oval $0.78 $40

In addition to the cost of floodlighting hockey also pay for the cost of electricity for water pum ps, professional cleaning of synthetic carpet and salt for water conditioner.

No additional operating or m aintenance costs paid for by any other sport, has been identified.

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2.5.3 Tenure Arrangem ents

Council has attem pted to standardise tenure arrangem ents at all its sporting facilities with lim ited success. Recently, Council has com m enced negotiations with sports regarding a new licence agreem ent. The principal term s of this licence include: ° Sports will have exclusive use of clubroom s for their respective seasons – this will apply to Australian rules football at Traeger Park and Albrecht Oval, soccer at Ross Park, touch at Flynn Oval, rugby union and league at Anzac Oval, softball and junior baseball at Jim M cConville Oval, cricket at Albrecht Oval, hockey at Traeger Park and baseball at Traeger Park. ° Exclusive use of club room s will require sports to clean and undertake m inor m aintenance of the building. ° Sports using m ulti purpose facilities, such as Flynn Oval, Traeger Park, Jim M cConville Oval, Rhonda Diano Oval and Albrecht Oval will have access to change room s and toilets. ° Cleaning of m ulti use facilities will be negotiated on a case by case basis between Council and each sport. ° Council will m aintain all playing fields, and negotiate m aintenance of specific purpose surfaces (eg tennis, hockey, baseball, softball, basketball and netball) on a case by case basis. ° Sports will not pay to use sporting facilities, except for the cost of floodlighting, and will contribute a participation levy to the Sports facilities Advisory Com m ittee.

Overall, there are significant inconsistencies in the form al and inform al tenure agreem ents Council has with each sport. A consistent approach is required which is fair and equitable.

2.5.4 Participation Levy

Council has established a Sports Facilities Trust Fund, with contributions from Council and participating sports (ie those using Council sports facilities). Sports contribute based on registered m em bership ($8.10 and $23.70 for junior and senior m em bers, respectively). Funds are used to develop and upgrade Council’s sporting facilities.

Table 2.4 sum m arises the participation levy invoiced to each sport for the last three years. It clearly identifies the five m ost popular sports in Alice Springs – netball, soccer, football, cricket and basketball.

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Table 2.4: Participation Levy

Sport 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total Netball $8,061.82 $8,116.36 $9,966.55 $26,144.73 Football (soccer) $6,495.00 $7,144.50 $7,858.95 $21,498.45 Cricket $5,236.36 $5,380.36 $5,866.36 $16,483.08 AFL (1) $5,596.36 $5,285.45 $10,881.81 Basketball $4,835.45 $5,319.00 $5,276.18 $15,430.63 Touch $3,482.18 $3,640.00 $3,772.36 $10,894.54 Tennis $2,795.91 $2,354.77 $2,303.05 $7,453.73 Rugby League $2,156.36 $2,297.00 $2,443.64 $6,897.00 Hockey $2,568.00 $2250.00 $1,904.73 $6,722.73 Baseball $1,754.55 $1,950.00 $2,181.82 $5,886.37 Slo-Pitch (2) $5,000.00 Rugby Union $1,360.00 $1,280.00 $1,378.91 $4,018.91 Softball (3) $1,600.00 $1,760.00 No com p $3,360.00 Athletics $300.00 $462.27 $462.27 $1,224,54 (1) Only two years data available (2) Levy for period 2004 – 2008 (3) No com petition was conducted in 2008

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3 DE M A N D FO R S P O R TIN G FA C IL ITIE S

This chapter reviews existing and potential dem and for sporting facilities in Alice Springs.

3.1 DEM OGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

Data from the 2006 Census and projections of population growth are sum m arised.

3.1.1 2006 Census Data

Table 3.1 shows the age profile for Alice Springs. The key point to notes are: ° The total population of the Council area in 2006 was 23,891. ° A relatively sm all num ber of residents 2,268 (9%) live outside the urban areas of Alice Springs. ° The proportion of people aged 0 – 20 years, 21- 40 years and 41 – 60 years is about the sam e (30% – 31%), and the proportion of residents aged over 60 years if approxim ately 8%. O verall Alice Springs has a relatively young age profile. ° The num ber of residents aged 6 to 18 years (ie those who play junior sport) is approxim ately 4,700. ° The num ber of younger adults aged 19 to 40 years who com prise the bulk of adults sports participants is approxim ately 7,700.

Table 3.1: Age Profile

Age Alice Springs Township Local Governm ent Area 0 to 4 1,714 1,850 5 to 9 1,677 1,836 10 to 14 1,698 1,891 15 to 19 1,559 1,736 20 to 24 1,494 1,640 25 to 29 1,716 1,831 30 to 34 1,746 1,886 35 to 39 1,878 2,050 40 to 44 1,844 2,065 45 to 49 1,765 1,958 50 to 54 1,615 1,784 55 to 59 1,164 1,292 60 to 64 758 852 65 to 69 430 495 70 to 74 217 254 75 to 79 194 240 80 to 84 84 118 85 and over 70 113 Total 21,623 23,891

3.1.2 ABS Population Projections

Population projections prepared by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that the population will continue to grow (refer to Table 3.2). The projected increase in population is in

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the order of 24% or 5,680 people over the period 2006 to 2025.

Table 3.2: Population Projections

Year Population 2010 27,467 2015 28,176 2020 28,890 2025 29,571

Further analysis of the population projections shows that all age groups between 5 and 40 years (the m ain sports participation age groups) will increase. In other words dem and for both junior and adult sports facilities is likely to increase in the next fifteen years. If the increase is in line with the population increase it will be in the order of 20+%.

3.2 SPORTING TRENDS

To appreciate trends in sport, it is necessary to consider them within the context of changes within Australian society.

3.2.1 Trends in Australian Society

The following trends are evident in Australian society and will im pact to som e degree, on the developm ent and m anagem ent of sporting facilities. The im plication of each trend should be assessed on a situation by situation basis. Sporting facility provision m ust take account of these trends as they cannot be changed, but will affect how individual facilities, program s and services are developed and m anaged.

1 The structure of the labour force is changing, with a shift in em ploym ent patterns with m ore people em ployed in part tim e and casual positions and m ore wom en in the labour force, m any em ployed in part tim e positions. In addition the concept of the five day working week is changing with m ore people required to work over a six or seven day week. This m eans the traditional weekend for leisure is being eroded and leisure opportunities need to be available at other tim es, particularly weekday nights.

2 The leisure industry, including tourism is now a significant part of the Australian econom y. It em ploys a large num ber of people and is a significant generator of export incom e (for the nation, the state and the locality). Eco-tourism assets m ust be m anaged in a sustainable m anner.

3 W e live in the inform ation age where access to inform ation is relatively easy. Technologically it is now possible to provide large num bers of people with inform ation cheaply. The general public also has an expectation that it will be able to access inform ation from governm ent instrum entalities, and that decisions are m ade in an open environm ent.

4 Greater em phasis is being given to preventative health care, resulting in people being m ore aware of the need for an active lifestyle, their dietary needs, and the need to have regular m edical checks. Sporting facilities are a m ajor ingredient in m aintaining a physically active lifestyle.

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5 Governm ents accept the concept of equity, and have developed strategies to ensure that disadvantaged groups have access to basic services including health, education, leisure and sporting facilities.

6 In recent years there has been a m ove to reduce the level of taxation at all spheres of governm ent. This, am ong other factors, has resulted in greater accountability on public agencies and closer scrutiny on how budgets are spent, increases in fees and charges for governm ent services and m ore specific targeting of resources.

7 , is an ageing com m unity. M any older adults retire earlier, live in their own hom es longer, change their residence upon retirem ent, have m ore accum ulated assets and superannuation, and travel m ore extensively than previous generations. As the baby boom er generation m oves into retirem ent, they are likely to continue being m ore physically active than all previous generations.

3.2.2 Trends In Sporting Facilities

The following trends are evident in the developm ent, use and m anagem ent of sporting facilities and will im pact to som e degree on facilities in Alice Springs. These trends provide a context within which leisure opportunities should be provided, and give an indication of strategies to be adopted by Council.

1 The general public has a greater recognition, and understanding, of the value of open space, and hence outdoor sporting facilities, as it relates to quality of life. Open space is valued from an environm ental, aesthetic, heritage and recreational perspective.

2 Participants have an expectation that sporting facilities are developed, m anaged and m aintained to a higher quality and in an environm entally sustainable way. Quality of provision is m ore im portant than quantity of provision.

3 An ageing society and the availability of a wider range of recreation and sporting activities m eans greater com petition for participants, resulting in decreasing num bers participating in each activity, particularly traditional field sports.

4 People prefer to participate in individual or inform al activities rather than as part of a club or team . They tend to shy away from the com m itm ents of being a m em ber of a club or team .

5 Resource sharing is recognised as being in the best long term interests of the com m unity. This has led to joint developm ent of school/com m unity facilities; developm ent of m ulti sport clubs com bining for exam ple football, cricket, soccer, netball; the developm ent of facilities to service regions rather than a single Council area; and public/private joint ventures.

6 A general increase in concern for the environm ent has encouraged m ore people to experience natural areas and interpretive facilities and services. The com m unity is now m ore conscious of the value of our natural and historical heritage and dem ands its preservation. However, the cost of preserving conservation areas of regional, state or national significance is often the responsibility of local com m unities.

7 The com m unity has a m uch greater appreciation of their legal rights and responsibilities in relation to the provision of sporting facilities. Greater em phasis is now given to risk m anagem ent, to m inim ise the exposure of governm ent to public liability claim s and increased insurance costs. W hilst all sporting facilities are potential risk m anagem ent problem s, substantial effort has been given to reducing risk.

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8 Young people are tending to becom e increasingly interested in inform al unstructured activity such as Skateboarding, BM X riding and the m ore ‘extrem e’ sports. Public ‘safe’ places are im portant aspects for youth recreation. Location of such opportunities is crucial to avoid conflicts of use whilst at the sam e tim e not com prom ising the safety of the users.

9 People seem less willing to tolerate conflicts with other users than they were previously and are m ore concerned about environm ental im pacts.

10 As m ore em phasis is given to catering for inform al recreation activities, particularly walking, cycling and horse riding, the im portance of establishing links between open spaces, and using linear corridors (such creeks, drainage reserves, transport reserves) is increasing. These corridors are also valued for habitat and native vegetation preservation.

3.2.3 Sum m ary and Im plications

° Trends in Australian society and in the way in which sporting facilities are developed, m anaged and m aintained will affect the provision in Alice Springs. Council cannot change trends, but it m ust acknowledge their existence and understand that stakeholders and lobby groups will use trends to dem and and justify changes to the way in which sporting facilities are provided.

° Sporting facilities are an im portant elem ent in ensuring a high quality of life for residents. It serves m any different and often com peting functions. Given finite resources, they m ust be m anaged in a sustainable way.

° Changes in society and the way in which people recreate, have m eant that sporting facilities will have to be m anaged in a different way to past practices. G reater em phasis will have to be given to providing flexible facilities, and ensuring safe access at all tim es.

° An aging com m unity will require m ore facilities targeted to the needs of m iddle and older aged people. Consequently, m ore areas for low im pact sport will be required, or at least access to existing facilities im proved.

3.3 GROW TH IN SPORT

Table 3.3 sum m arises the num ber of registered players in sports which pay the participation levy and have provided the inform ation to Council for the last three years. Key points to note from this table are: ° The total num ber of registered players has decreased over the last three years. [Note: Touch, Basketball, Softball and Slo Pitch did not provide data for three consecutive years and have therefore been excluded from the data.] ° W hilst the num ber of registered senior players has increased the num ber of juniors has decreased. ° Sports which have experienced the largest increase in participation are netball and rugby league. ° Sports which have experienced the largest decrease in participation are soccer and hockey. It is surprising that the num ber of registered junior soccer players has decreased

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given the advice provided by Football in Central Australia that the sport was “boom ing”.

Table 3.3: Num ber of Registered Players

N’ball Soccer Cricket AFL RL B’ball Tennis Hockey Aths RU Total 2006 Seniors 264 180 180 228 56 40 87 84 0 68 1187 Juniors 408 338 240 152 126 140 205 96 44 0 1749 Total 672 518 420 380 182 180 292 180 44 68 2936 2007 Seniors 264 180 180 228 56 40 78 84 23 64 1197 Juniors 416 338 204 152 152 140 110 48 65 0 1625 Total 680 518 384 380 208 180 188 132 88 64 2822 2008 Seniors 304 228 180 190 56 50 88 72 3 64 1235 Juniors 464 144 270 190 168 150 127 48 67 1628 Total 768 372 450 380 224 200 215 120 70 64 2863

3.4 DEVELOPM ENT AND OPERATIONAL ISSUES

This section identifies facility developm ent and operational issues which have been identified during the dem and assessm ent phase of the preparation of this m aster plan.

3.4.1 Com m on Issues

Som e issues are com m on to m any sporting facilities in Alice Springs: ° Lack of training floodlights for m any field sports ° Lack of shade for players and spectators ° Lack of seating for players and spectators ° Poor quality am enities eg change room s and toilets ° Capacity of existing supply of utilities (eg electricity at Anzac O val and Traeger Park and water supply to hockey centre)

3.4.2 Facility or Sport Specific Issues

Som e issues are specific to a facility or sport in Alice Springs: ° Public toilets at Traeger Park ° Run off at Traeger Park hockey centre ° Run off at Traeger Park tennis courts ° Lim ited room for expansion of individual facilities at Traeger Park (eg tennis) and Ross Park (eg netball) ° Inadequate size of Albrecht Oval for Australian rules football ° Crackadust surface at Jim M cConville softball diam onds ° Spectator facilities at the basketball stadium

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° Quality of the playing surface at CDU O val ° Lack of synthetic track and field facilities ° Lack of indoor sports facilities to cater for activities other than basketball

3.4.3 Operational Issues

Som e issues are relate to the operation of facilities rather than developm ents: ° Cost to operate floodlights at Traeger Park ° M aintenance cost of turf wickets ° M aintenance cost of all turf playing fields ° Availability and cost of water for m aintenance ° M anaging shared use of outdoor sporting facilities, particularly for training in winter ° Catering for sum m er sport during daylight hours ° Equitable and consistent tenure arrangem ents for all sporting facilities ° Financial capacity of sport to contribute to the operating and developm ent costs of facilities ° Com petition between sports for junior and senior players

3.5 SUM M ARY

Based on data collected during the dem and assessm ent phase of the m aster plan, som e key points em erge:

1 M ost sporting facilities in Alice Springs require upgrading to m eet contem porary standards.

2 M ore floodlit facilities are needed to cater for winter sports’ training and to provide venues for night tim e sum m er sport.

3 Strategies are required to ensure the sustainability of sport in Alice Springs. Sustainability relates to use of resources and the ongoing cost to provide sporting opportunities.

4 Feasibility assessm ents are required to address the dem and for and cost of providing facilities such as: ° M ulti purpose indoor sports centre ° All weather track and field facility ° M ulti purpose, floodlit, synthetic training facility for field sports ° Hockey and tennis facilities which com ply with contem porary standards

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