The ACT Government will keep 20 of its irrigated sports fields open during the upcoming two-week maintenance period to give Canberrans a chance to train before the winter season.
Most fields will undergo maintenance from Saturday 18 March to Friday 31 March 2023 (inclusive).
Work will involve top dressing (spreading a new layer of sand/soil) and upgrades to turf, installing goal posts and line marking. Some grounds have already received some maintenance with crews recently inspecting and repairing lighting towers and repairing wiring from bird damage.
"We've been working with peak sporting bodies and will allow some fields to stay open during this time as a trial," Minister for Sport and Recreation Yvette Berry said. "We hope this new approach will allow more time for training.
"Maintenance work has already started at some sports fields. Other sports fields that still need maintenance will close at a later date that suits the various sporting groups.
"Our relationship with sport peak bodies is important, and if this trial works well we may make it part of the normal maintenance period at the end of the winter and summer seasons."
Sporting groups who want to train at any of the open sports fields are encouraged to liaise with their sport peak body, who will make the necessary arrangements with the ACT Government.
The ACT Government manages 127 irrigated sportsground sites across the Territory, with 882 individual hireable sports fields hosting year-round training and competitions.
The maintenance period is carried out twice yearly at the beginning and end of the summer sport season.
The 20 sports fields to remain open for bookings are:
- Campbell
- Conder (two fields)
- Curtin (two fields)
- Duffy
- Griffith (two fields)
- Hall
- Holt (two fields)
- Kaleen (three fields)
- Page (two fields)
- Pearce (two fields)
- Watson (two fields)
