Should all sports grounds in Canberra be closed when we have substantial rainfall?

Now admittedly, I’m talking about last century, but I remember playing footy (I’m from SA, so AFL) on a particular ground which was so muddy after a night of rain, at the end of the game, some guys would simply walk into the showers wearing their whole kit (including boots) to clean the mud off. Even worse, was playing the week after the ground was a quagmire, as there were sections (particularly the centre, which doubled as the cricket pitch in summer) of hard dried mud – certainly took a fair bit of skin off if you happened to be unfortunate to come to ground. However, these days, ovals in general have better drainage, etc. but if we are talking grounds that are virtually unplayable because of the mud, perhaps the duty of care principle does come into play. I know it’s a bit ‘nanny state-ish’, but as the author comments, in this litigous age ….

The answer is yes.

It’s be great if this small minority of moaners acknowledged that it’s been the wettest Winter for a number of years.

These are likely the same people who at other times enjoy a whinge about poor field quality.

I’ve yet to see anyone suggesting that field hire fees be increased to cover at least a small part of the cost of the upgrades they’re demanding.

Or perhaps substantial fines should be levied on sports and clubs that damage fields and expect them to be perfect the next time around?

The solution is that the ACT Government needs to upgrade the drainage of all community fields which are currently used for sport and where drainage is currently inadequate. Many grounds have become unplayable this winter, denying kids and adults the opportunity to train and play. The pay-off for this infrastructure investment by the government will be wide-ranging: participants will get better value for the registration and other costs associated with different sports; grounds will be easier to maintain and repair more quickly after heavy rain; health and fitness levels across the community, with the flow on social and economic benefits, will be maintained; Canberra will be able to continue to attract national and international sporting events; and non-sport users will be able to enjoy use of the grounds year round. Fixing the grounds will also reduce the ACT Government’s potential exposure to litigation. Of course the cost of fixing ground drainage will be higher and this cost might be ultimately paid by the community in hire fees etc. but the cost of doing nothing will be much greater.

Fixing up fields is expensive. The cost to make upgrades to these fields would be passed on through increased ground hire charges, making the game even more unaffordable for families with multiple kids playing.