Located in Elizabeth Downs, Argana Park has long been a home for both local games and major competitions, boasting 22 outdoor netball courts, cricket nets, two football ovals and five soccer pitches.
The new changerooms support the Elizabeth Downs Soccer Club and Elizabeth Netball Association, replacing the original facilities, which will now be repurposed as storage for club use.
Purpose-built and unisex, the modern changerooms are specifically designed to support multiple teams while prioritising accessibility, privacy and functionality. Footpaths and concreted areas have been installed around the changerooms, creating an easily accessible and welcoming environment in all weather conditions.
With the changerooms now complete, construction is still underway on the remaining stages of the upgrade, including an extra 300 parking spaces. This additional parking will be particularly beneficial during major games and netball carnivals, which can attract up to 4000 players and spectators.
More footpaths, new oval lighting and modern signage will also be installed to further enhance the experience for players and visitors. The remaining stage of the upgrade is expected to be complete in late October.
The upgrade is a key step in keeping Argana Park equipped to meet the needs of a growing community.
With Playford welcoming an average of 10 new residents each day over the next 20 years, ongoing investment in community assets such as sporting clubs is vital to ensure they can keep pace with demand.
Representatives from the netball and soccer clubs agree participation has been increasing steadily over the last few years.
The project builds on recent upgrades to local parks and open spaces, as well as the new district-level sporting facility at Kalara Reserve in Davoren Park. Like Argana Park, these much-loved spaces have been part of our community for decades and now require reinvestment to keep them thriving for a new community into the future.
The Argana Park upgrade is a $6 million project and has been jointly funded with $4.6 million from the City of Playford and a $1.5 million contribution from the State Government.
Sport in Playford is thriving and plays a central role in a happy and healthy community. These new changerooms are a great example of how council is investing in facilities to support our growing community and its clubs. This upgrade makes Argana Park an even stronger hub for local sport and will benefit players of all ages for years to come. Council is proud to provide places that bring people together, encourage active lifestyles and foster lasting connections, helping make our community an even better place to call home.
Building inclusive and accessible environments helps promote participation and having these new changerooms is an important part of fostering local clubs' growth. Teams across different codes will benefit from additional privacy and more space, in an upgraded precinct providing more support to girls and women. Our Government continues to invest in sporting facilities which bring the community together and we look forward to seeing the next stages of this upgrade take shape and an election commitment delivered.
At the last State Election I was really pleased to secure a commitment of $1.5 million towards new changerooms and lighting at Argana Park. These new facilities will help secure the future success of the Elizabeth Netball Club and the Elizabeth Downs Soccer Club, and make the precinct safer and more accessible for everybody. I grew up in and around Argana Park and my family has had a long association with the Downs Soccer Club. I'm really happy to be able to support Argana Park's ongoing improvement for the benefit of the whole community. This is another great example of State and local government working together to create better community facilities.
The Elizabeth Netball Association competition has grown considerably over the past few years requiring us to get creative with our program. This has been great for the community and our competition. Our annual carnival has grown so much that we split the carnival into a senior and junior competitions this year with a great outcome. Our problem with all these increases in numbers is that we have had limited toilets available. The new building is mainly giving us more toilets which will be a great asset especially for the carnivals.
The new, multiple change rooms are coming at the most opportune time for the Elizabeth Downs Soccer Club, with its expansion into both FSA State League 2, Youth Club Championship, and its drive to expand participation in the clubs Women's and Girls teams through 2026. Thanks to City of Playford and the South Australian Government, changerooms such as these are a fantastic improvement over our old and outdated facility and allowing the club to grow its participation rate knowing that the players are comfortably catered for.
