Weekend sport chaos as Redland closes all fields

A southeast Queensland council’s surprise, rain-triggered closure of every local playing ground on the weekend has renewed demands for durable, all-weather fields.

The soggy playing fields at Redland Bay were left empty over the weekend. Picture: Judith Kerr

A bayside council threw hundreds of sporting teams into chaos over the weekend after it shut down all council playing fields in a bid to protect them from damage after the recent rain.

Redland City Council shut all of its sporting fields on Thursday, notifying affected clubs they would remain closed over the weekend due to the rain and possible damage to the surfaces.

The move forced local clubs to scramble to reschedule games in other council areas and to cancel all visiting teams.

It also triggered an outpouring of anger from parents, players and clubs who said the closures were becoming all-too-regular, especially for junior athletes missing weeks of training and games.

The closures left many teams out of pocket and hugely inconvenienced, with players from all codes and sports relocated to matches as far away as Mooloolaba for 9am starts or Greenbank finishing at 6.30pm.

The move also prompted calls for the council to invest in all-weather surfaces and better drainage, as other neighbouring councils were left to shoulder the overflow of relocated matches.

Redland council said it had assessed its fields using a three-level risk rating system - green, amber and red.

Council grounds are used year-round for a range of sports including cricket, union, AFL and league.

“All fields are currently at red level,” the council said in a statement.

“They are considered unsafe for player safety and there is a risk of long-term damage to the surface that could potentially impact a full season of the sport.

“As part of future upgrades to local sporting fields, the council will consider the inclusion of synthetic or all-weather surfaces to help minimise disruption to sports caused by wet weather.

“The council has engaged a specialist consultancy in sport and recreation planning to develop an Indoor Sports Facility Action Plan.

“The plan will assess and identify priority locations and strategies to address both short and long-term needs for indoor sports facilities over the next 20 years.”

Parent Chris Goldsmith said the closures were “getting out of hand”.

“Six to 12-year-old kids are not going to ruin the fields. They let seniors play, but the juniors miss out.”

Natalie Falvey, whose son plays football in the Moreton Bay council area, questioned why some codes were at times still playing in Redlands while others were forced to cancel or relocate.

“I would like to know why some rugby union, league and AFL training and games go ahead on Redland council fields, but not football (soccer) games,” she said.

“My son’s club is in Moreton Bay and rarely cancels. I feel it’s because the council invested in proper drainage.”

Other parents echoed those concerns, pointing to high registration fees for kids who were “barely seeing” the field this season.

Melissa Clare said her two sons had played just two out of six scheduled matches and trained only twice in the past two months.

“Surely, in this day and age, grass can be more durable or alternatives should be available,” she wrote.

“Redland City Council, you really need to invest in all-weather pitches,” said one parent.

Other parts of the southeast have experienced similar problems this season, with parents complaining of at least half of junior matches cancelled despite fees in excess of $500.

Redlan council acknowledged the frustration and said field updates were issued via email and its website and Facebook page.

Displaced Redlands teams raced to find indoor facilities, with some local centres stepping up to offer space.

But for many teams there were no weekend matches.

“We just want to play softball,” the Redlands Softball Association posted.

“Rain, rain, go away,” added another frustrated parent.

Originally published as Weekend sport chaos as Redland closes all fields