Moved by Councillor Thalis, seconded by the Chair (the Lord Mayor) -
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note:
(i) almost 30 per cent of all Australian cricket participants are in NSW, second to Victoria;
(ii) the City of Sydney Open Space, Sports and Recreation Needs Study 2016 states:
(a) cricket is a rapidly growing sport in the Southern Sydney region;
(b) in 2008, in the Southern Sydney region, there was one cricket wicket per 5,300 people verses the City of Melbourne that had one cricket field per 3,166 people;
(c) community consultation showed a need for more turf cricket wickets, cricket fields in Glebe and Annandale, synthetic cricket wickets at Bicentennial Park and Wentworth Park and practice nets at Jubilee Oval; and
(d) providing ancillary support facilities at grounds such as cricket nets was a priority;
(iii) currently the City of Sydney is under-provided for cricket nets - just two in Turruwul Park, two that are dilapidated in Wentworth Park and a group beside Alan Davidson Oval in Sydney Park. The few nets at Ovals such as Reg Bartley Oval cannot be used when the ground is in use. Further, there are no nets in either Moore Park or Centennial Park, no available public nets in major institutions such as the University campuses, or in our schools, and the indoor nets at the SCG have been demolished;
(iv) community facilities are recognised as one of the key pillars in supporting the growth of cricket participation and improving participant and fan experiences; and
(v) the City has cricket nets at Turruwul Park, Reg Bartley Oval, Wentworth Park and Sydney Park and there are inadequate plans to provide further nets at this time; and
(B) the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:
(i) investigate locations for additional cricket nets (including multi-use training facilities) on city-owned land;
(ii) investigate locations for additional cricket nets (including multi-use training facilities) on other public land (including school and university sites);
(iii) advocate to the Greater Sydney Parklands board regarding opportunities for additional cricket nets in Moore Park and Centennial Park; and
(iv) report back to Council via the CEO Update on the options and feasibility.
The motion, as varied by consent, was carried unanimously.
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