The Northern Sydney Region Organisation of Councils (NSROC) comprises seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the northern part of Sydney which have voluntarily come together to address regional issues, work co-operatively for the benefit of the region, and advocate on agreed regional positions and priorities. The member councils are Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby.
Otium Planning Group (OPG) was commissioned by NSROC to review and update the 2011 Regional Sportsground Management Strategy to improve coordination of community sportsground management across the NSROC region, maximise participation opportunities, and deliver community health and amenity benefits.
The project focused on outdoor sports grounds and key sports competing for these spaces such as football (soccer), Australian Rules football, rugby union, rugby league, netball, cricket, touch/oztag, hockey, softball and baseball.
This study analysed existing sports ground supply in the NSROC region, population projections and demographic change, existing Council and state government strategies and plans, and sports participation trends.
Utilising demand modelling tools developed by OPG, the study was able to quantify, for the first time, the gap between the demand and supply of sportsgrounds in the NSROC area from 2018 to 2036.
OPG proposed a strategic direction for sportsground provision and management among NSROC member councils, and identified a number of initiatives and key actions for the group to employ to address short term demands. OPG also emphasised the importance of working with state government agencies to create medium and long term planning and funding solutions that acknowledge the importance of sportsgrounds as essential infrastructure.
Further information regarding the project may be found on the NSROC website as follows:
http://nsroc.com.au/nsroc-report-warns-of-sportsground-shortage