Desperate push for new or expanded facilities for Hornsby Spiders as Brickpit fills

PLANS have been in place for its expansion for years, but the Hornsby Spiders say they are desperate to see the Brickpit revitalised.

The Thornleigh Brickpit is full and the Hornsby Spiders are struggling to find somewhere to house their teams. U-14

PLANS have been in place for its expansion for years, but the Hornsby Spiders say they are desperate to see the Brickpit revitalised.

The local basketball club is struggling to house teams as the club’s facilities, including­ the Brickpit, continue to run at full capacity.

But Spiders president Shahrad Shafaghi said the club was determined to see new or expanded facilities in the Hornsby region.

“We are already running beyond full capacity. Without expansion soon, we could be facing a lot of trouble,” Mr Shafaghi said.

“Once the Brickpit was built, we were told there was always going to be the opportunity for expansion and we have always pushed for this to occur.”

The Spiders currently operate across six venues each week to run training sessions and competitions.

“The biggest problem is the schools that we go into don’t like local competitions, which is where we make all our money,” Mr Shafaghi said.

“These schools, their rates are incredible – Abbotsleigh charge $75 per hour per court – so the Brickpit is still the cheapest around, but our expenses make things very difficult to provide the opportunity­ for locals to play our sport.

“We have never stopped advocating for expansion, but even two new courts at the Brickpit wouldn’t support the growth we have seen in the last few years.”

The Thornleigh Brickpit is full and the Hornsby Spiders are struggling to find somewhere to house their teams. U-14

Mr Shafaghi said the club, which is the main user of the Brickpit, was trying to see a deal drawn up between the Department of Education, Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Council.

“A second venue that we are the primary users of would be wonderful,” he said.

“It is difficult to not only manage teams but manage venues as well. The only way we make our money is through local competitions, but most schools will not allow us to do this.”

In 2011, Hornsby Shire Council was successful in a Special Rate Variation application to impose an 18.8 per cent increase to rates over three years by the independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

Photographs: Simon Bullard. The Hornsby Spiders at Brickpit Indoor Sports Centre, Thornleigh.

The SRV was approved on the grounds that $3.9 million was used to “expand the space by constructing new indoor courts”.

A Hornsby Shire Council spokesman said a study was commissioned in 2013 to “look at indoor court facility needs”. “The study concluded that an expansion of the Brickpit Stadium was the least preferred of three options to address­ short-term indoor facility needs,” the spokesman said.

“It concluded that a joint venture with PCYC was the most preferable and offered a low-cost outcome for council in delivering an indoor facility­. The PCYC centre is currently being built at Waitara and is scheduled to open in mid-2017.”

Hornsby Council contributed $2.85 million to the PCYC centre.