Sports fields in Puketāpapa are sought after by winter codes, making it essential clubs book early to avoid disappointment.
“It is great to see our sportfields well used over winter, and it’s tricky to accommodate everyone, so please do check in with the field bookings team to avoid disappointment. They work hard with clubs and codes to find a spot for as many games and trainings as possible, but need your information to get it right,” says Puketāpapa Local Board Chair Julie Fairey
She says it is best to check in advance because parks can be closed for renovations, development, maintenance or to rest fields.
Puketāpapa has 13 sports park sites catering for baseball, softball, athletics, Aussie football and tennis over summer, with the focus in winter shifting to football, rugby and league.
Council uses a priority application and allocation system to assess applications, treating winter and summer equally and generally only dealing with applications for the upcoming season. It is necessary to plan in advance so council can undertake repairs, upgrades and set-up fields to meet user needs, allocate fields fairly and equability, manage use and avoid clashes, and to help identify if the city’s active recreation needs are being met.
Decisions around weekend cancellations and reallocations are managed between the various sports and Council. Cancellations should be checked with the relevant sports code because clubs take responsibility for cancelling if fields are sodden, or if heavy rain is falling or forecast, to reduce the risk of having to close fields to undertake costly repairs.
Council also uses Total Use Limits in winter to maximise the hours of use fields can accommodate each week during normal conditions of play and weather. The hours are spread over the entire week and are built into the booking system to help booking coordinators to manage field use.
Fields can be used at other times too, but those wanting use them need to make casual use applications, which are considered by park maintenance staff.
Information on sports fields, closures, applications to use them can all be found here.
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