Basketball and badminton are some of the fastest-growing sports in the ACT, but associations say there is not enough room to expand.
There is a “complete lack of available and suitable indoor sports halls”, says Olaf Schuermann, president of the ACT Badminton Association (ACTBA).
ACTBA’s 15 affiliated clubs can no longer accept new members or casuals, Mr Schuermann said. Nearly 200 people wanted to join the Gungahlin Badminton Club in January, for instance: “I couldn’t even take half the numbers that showed up.”
Since badminton is the number one or two sport in many Asian countries, Mr Schuermann predicts most ACTBA clubs will be full by the first week that sessions resume early next year.
Basketball is also feeling the pinch. Basketball ACT (BACT) has 100 new junior teams and 25 senior teams this year – bringing the total to 590-odd juniors and more than 180 seniors – all competing for space.
“There’s a massive indoor facility shortage around Canberra,” said Nicole Bowles, acting CEO of BACT. “We can’t grow the sport anymore because we’ve got nowhere to go.”
Sports associations seek government assistance to build facility
Both basketball and badminton groups believe the ACT Government can help.
BACT is seeking funding from the government to build two indoor courts near the Belconnen stadium. “If we can get to six courts, that would suffice us for now, but it doesn’t cater for any further growth,” Ms Bowles said. “We need at least another three or four indoor courts.”
BACT has a four-court indoor facility in Belconnen, hires the ageing Tuggeranong Southern Cross Basketball Stadium (whose roof leaks in wet weather), and uses local schools. Pressed for space, one club’s four under-10 teams train on a single court. Some clubs pay long-term leases, which makes the sport more expensive for members.
“There aren’t enough facilities around Canberra to facilitate a competition and do it well, let alone training,” Ms Bowles said.
ACTBA want the government to turn a Fyshwick or Mitchell warehouse into a dedicated badminton facility, but have made no headway. The government, Mr Schuermann believes, has no plans to address this situation.
“I am very frustrated with what I see is a complete lack of interest exhibited by the ACT Government in promoting indoor sports that people actually want to play in the ACT,” Mr Schuermann said.
Government invests in school courts – but clubs say facilities are inadequate
The government encourages sports clubs to use public schools for training and games.
In recent years, a spokesperson said, government improvements to public schools have provided another 65 to 70 hours per week of community access for basketball, futsal, and roller derby. This includes a two-court facility at Amaroo School (completed in 2018) and a new indoor sports court at the Margaret Hendry School, Taylor, while the new Kenny school will have two full-size indoor courts.
Since 2016, the spokesperson said, the government has allocated $400,000 for infrastructure, including upgrading the gym at the Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning in Stirling; the Weston Creek Woden Dodgers (a basketball team) are priority hirers here and at Alfred Deakin High School. The government also plans to install adjustable height basketball hoops at Belconnen High and Melrose High, and allocate $400,000 more for school infrastructure, including more basketball rings.
But sports associations say that facilities are inadequate, and that they are competing for space on school courts with other sports and clubs during peak times (weekday evenings and weekends).
Margaret Hendy’s ceiling, for instance, is too low, Mr Schuermann said. The Evelyn Scott School in Denman Prospect, Molonglo Valley, will be the home for roller derby during peak times.
“While I sympathise for ACT Roller Derby (given their facility in Woden was knocked down for, wait for it, yet more apartments), it doesn’t help our situation where all ACTBA clubs are turning away players,” Mr Schuermann said.
Ms Bowles said that although BACT trains at schools, it is unfeasible to run a basketball competition out of a one-court stadium. They will use Radford College and Daramalan College (both “absolutely amazing to partner with”) for the competition – but space still remains a problem.
Other responses
COMPPS ACT (the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports) agrees that indoor sporting facilities in the ACT are inadequate.
“Sports are under considerable strain for adequate playing space, and, consequently, need to offer some timeslots that are less than conducive to lifestyle needs of citizens,” said executive officer Mick Brady.
Mr Schuermann believes the ACT Government should consider a Canberra Liberals election promise: a new indoor multi-sports facility in Casey.
James Milligan MLA, Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation, said local sporting groups and the community were crying out for more facilities in the ACT. That, he said, includes an enclosed sporting facility Labor promised to build in Crace in 2012. A Labor spokesperson said they had no record of such a commitment.
“I will continue to advocate on behalf of local sporting groups and the Canberra community for better facilities following continued inaction by this Labor-Greens Government,” Mr Milligan said.
In April, Greens MLA Johnathan Davis moved that the government should set up a sport and recreation industry peak body; develop a new long-term strategic plan for sport and recreation in the ACT; and design a comprehensive facilities management plan for indoor and outdoor sporting facilities.
“While every party took valuable commitments towards sport and recreation to the election, I want to see long term security for community sports – that’s what the Facilities Management Plan is all about,” Mr Davis said.
The ACT Government will look into options for the peak body, and report back to the Legislative Assembly at the end of the year.
BACT called this “a really positive step forward”. Ms Bowles believes the sporting community needs a strategy to make sure there are enough facilities for Canberrans to be physically active. The ACT Government is also building a football centre in Throsby (including indoor futsal courts); a district tennis facility in Gungahlin; the first district playing fields for the Molonglo community at Stromlo Forest Park; a dragon boating facility in Grevillea Park; an ice sports facility in Tuggeranong; and upgrading five district netball facilities and Phillip Enclosed Oval.
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