Mount Barker Council reveals staggering yearly cost to run Summit Sport and Recreation Park facility as clubs pull out

This oval and sports park cost $23m – but now ratepayers are spending big as it often sits empty because leagues and club say it costs too much to hire.

Mount Barker’s new flagship sports oval and centre is draining the local council nearly $400,000 a year as major local leagues jump ship because it costs too much to use.

The newly built, $23m Summit Sport and Recreation Park – which hosted three AFL matches during April’s Gather Round fixture – costs council roughly $561,100 a year to run, but the budgeted 2024 income was $176,434.

The Alexandrina and Eastern Hills Cricket Association has dumped its licence agreement with the Summit for the 2024/25 season – joining the Hills Football League, which quit using the oval at the end of the 2023 season. Mount Barker Football Club also ditched the oval last year, saying it was a financial burden – while Mount Barker Cricket Club were the latest club to part ways.

While council didn’t provide an exact cost for clubs to hire the oval, it said the AEHCA paid a total amount of $34,859 in 2023, while council contributed $33,882.

AEHCA president Mark Stokes said departing the Summit was “the only option left for the association”.

West Coast take on Sydney at Mount Barker’s Summit Sports Park in April this year. Picture: Dean Martin

“They (Mt Barker council) would need to reduce the fee,” Mr Stokes said. “A reduction in price would be the start. What that looks like, I don’t know.

“We knew coming into the current season that it was probably not going to be viable. We do rely on sponsorship and we just didn’t have enough to counteract the cost.

“It’s unfortunate that cricketers in the Adelaide Hills won’t have the opportunity to use such a new facility. The volunteers of the association have put a lot of time into ensuring the facility’s use was maximised over the previous three seasons; however, the cost had become more than we could reasonably recover from clubs using the facility.”

Hills Football League president Travis Lynn said the league had initially signed on for a five-year deal but “pulled the pin” after three seasons.

“It’s very disappointing,” Mr Lynn said. “It’s an AFL-standard oval that you can’t play footy on – it’s just too unaffordable for clubs to play footy.

“It would be great to see clubs out there, and even finals for the Hills footy league played out there, but it’s got to be financially viable for everyone.”

A council spokesman said the AEHCA’s decision to not continue at the Summit related “to the organisation’s own financial situation”.

“Council and the SSRP Board remain open to further discussions with the AEHCA and would welcome the return of cricket to the SSRP if an agreement can be reached,” they said.

“The SSRP will face larger ongoing costs than other established facilities through higher depreciation and expenditure on facility enhancements and expansions.

“The purpose of the Summit Sport and Recreation Park was not to replace previous town facilities, but rather to create a new regional level facility to meet the needs of Mt Barker’s future growth, and to provide opportunities to attract additional recreation, sport and major events to Mt Barker.”

The spokesman said figures for April-June 2024 showed the oval was used for a total of 455 hours across five different clubs, including regular training sessions every weeknight.

. The council is “actively seeking” new licence opportunities to “draw in additional income and facility usage”.

“Costs to use the SSRP vary,” the spokesman said. “Sporting bodies generally pay a licence fee, along with a share of the facility’s operating costs. However, this does not fully cover these costs.”

West Coast take on Sydney at Mount Barker’s Summit Sports Park in April this year. Picture: Dean Martin

The Summit Sport and Recreation Park in Mount Barker. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette

While no Gather Round games have been slated for the AFL-standard facility in 2025, council has assured the Advertiser “there will be no financial impact” as a result.

The council said from April to June this year, the oval was used on a casual hire basis by three local level football clubs, the Hills Football League, and SANFL club Sturt.

SANFL club Sturt uses the Summit for training and summer matches, with CEO Sue Dewing calling it an “ideal venue”.

“The booking process with (council) has been seamless, and as a club that relies on alternate venues for training and games during the summer months due to cricket at Unley Oval, we have found the facility fees both reasonable and competitive,” Ms Dewing said.