17 July 2022

Royals Junior Rugby Club petition for better facilities at Rivett playing fields

| Aiden Rothnie
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Facilities at Rivett playing fields

Royals Junior Rugby Club is pushing for improved facilities at the Rivett playing fields, saying the current ones are no longer fit for purpose. Photo: Supplied.

The Royals Junior Rugby Club has started a petition to bring attention to the outdated facilities at the Rivett playing fields in Weston creek.

Royals Juniors President Simone Hunter said the facilities haven’t received an upgrade for decades.

“The facilities haven’t been considered for over 20 years. A water tap has been added at some point but aside from that, who could tell the last time anything beyond general maintenance happened to the site, despite increased usage?”

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Ms Hunter said the current facilities are no longer fit for purpose and don’t suit the needs of the large variety of people who come to the fields.

“Currently, there are no female change rooms, the grounds do not have a ramp leading to the accessible toilets and there is no access from the car park that is often flooded and full of potholes,” she explained.

“We have grandparents, guests with prams, and other spectators with mobility issues who want to come and watch or participate in the games and while they can stand or sit on the sideline, they have to get down a small hill first to get there. The risk of falling is high and most sit in the car or don’t come.”

Toilet block

According to Simone Hunter, the toilets at Rivett playing field haven’t been touched or upgraded in 20 years. Photo: Supplied.

Simone hopes to see refurbished toilets, ramp access to facilities, better drainage of the car park and a viewing space.

“It’s so important for community sports clubs to be able to provide amenity and comfort for guests to the field,” Ms Hunter said.

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Greens MLA for Murrumbidgee Emma Davidson supports the drive to improve the facilities.

“Community sports are a big part of how we build resilient, strong communities, physically and mentally. We need a comprehensive plan to better manage our sports and recreation facilities so that everyone can play and ensure community sports can thrive in our rapidly changing world,” Ms Davidson said.

“I’ve seen that the facilities at Rivett Playing Grounds require better maintenance, bathrooms and change rooms for everyone in our community to use, and more accessible grounds so family and friends with mobility issues can come and enjoy the game.”

To support the Royals Junior Rugby Club, sign their petition on Change.org.

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Our leaders have made it quite clear that its time for female sport to dominate, there is no money to replace male facilities (on the southside).

This is a massive problem in the ACT, sporting infrastructure is old and there is no funding for many of the sports our children love to play. Our population is growing, the government is selling a lot of land, but where are the extra sporting facilities to cope, or the improved capacity and upgrading of facilities already built. We only have 2 basketball stadiums, we have a netball centre that has limited seating for viewing, and there are limited quality sporting fields for all the grass ball sports that play on the weekend. Given that sport is important to people’s mental and physical well-being more needs to be done.

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