Elsie Lange
Sunbury Basketball Association (SBA) is struggling to accommodate the growing demand for space at training and games, and is calling for increased court capacity, refurbishments, a gym, CCTV and car park lighting as soon as possible.
SBA general manager Chris Tighe said while pre-pandemic training space at Eric Boardman Stadium was ample, now there were teams sharing courts at midweek training sessions, with sessions half as long as they used to be.
He said Hume council’s draft indoor sports strategy, released in 2020, does not recognise the immediate need for upgrades at the council-owned stadium, and for basketball in the region more broadly.
“The indoor sports plan is saying that Sunbury will be in need of more court training space in 11 years, across all indoor facilities [including] basketball, netball and badminton – but we’re saying we’re full now,” Mr Tighe said.
“We have under-8s and under-10s playing on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon because we can’t fit them in at night because we have senior competition on.
“We are currently using all six courts at Boardman and that’s across two time slots… along with those we use 12 courts around the region on a Saturday because of growth.”
Responding to Mr Tighe’s claims, Hume council said it was encouraged by increased participation and was working with stakeholders around potential upgrades and expansion plans.
“Being one of the fastest growing local government areas in Victoria means Hume city’s developments are constantly reviewed,” council said.
“We will continue to monitor and liaise with our expanding community to deliver support where needed.”
Mr Tighe said the facility’s car parks were inadequate, with people parking down the street on gameday, there was no CCTV and their increased staffing to accommodate demand meant their small office had been outgrown.
He said while negotiations were underway, and while he had given tours to political candidates ahead of the state election, he doubted there would be action unless Hume came to the table fast.
“We just want our kids to develop in a comfortable and safe environment and we want our staff to work on comfortable conditions, to allow our kids to develop,” he said.
Council said it would seek state government funding for the project and would continue to involve residents in the planning process.
