Summit Sport and Recreation Park (Mt Barker, SA)

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The_Wookie

The_Wookie

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Jul 2, 2010
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Summit-Stadium-Mt-Barker-SA-Ausserlechner.png



  • Seated Capacity - > under 1,000
  • Total Capacity -> 3000
  • Gather Round Seated Capacity - 3,000
  • Total Gather Round Capacity - 8,00

Information
  • [Official Site]
  • [Austadiums]
Mt.Barker will be the 49th venue to host an official AFL match since Round 1 1897 was played at the Melbourne suburban grounds of Victoria Park (Collingwood), Brunswick Street (Fitzroy) and Lake Oval (South Melbourne), and nearby Corio Oval (Geelong).

The grass does look in perfect condition. The ground is as long as the Adelaide Oval and as wide as the MCG.

But it was only a couple of years ago that it wasn’t much more than a paddock.

That was before a combined $21 million investment from federal and state governments, the AFL, SANFL and Football Federation SA.

Llights, giant screens and a scoreboard are expected to be installed - temporary grandstands to hold 3000 people are built, as well as a media centre and coach’s boxes.

Fencing is also being erected around the site. Taller AFL goalposts have been installed, complete with goal line and “snicko” technology.

 
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The Victorian said:
Does anyone know what local club plays here?
Click to expand...
None. It's a big white elephant besides Gather Round, unfortunately. Hopefully the issues get sorted as it is a great ground.

The Hills Football League announced this statement July 28, 2023:

MEDIA RELEASE: Hills Football League Inc.

2023 Grand Final Venues and Summit Sports Park venue:
The Hills Football League is pleased to announce the confirmed venues for the Division 1 and Country Division Grand Finals for Season 2023.

The venues are:
Division 1 Grand Finals: Lobethal Oval hosted by the Lobethal Football Club
Country Division Grand Finals: Kersbrook Oval (Kersbrook Soldiers Memorial Park) hosted by the Kersbrook Football Club.

We believe that these clubs will provide two outstanding days of country football at its finest and that the many excellent and dedicated volunteers will ensure a memorable experience for players, officials, media and spectators alike.
We thank all clubs who sent in submissions to host these two significant events on the community calendar.

Questions were asked last year and no doubt will be again this year as to why these games could not be held at the Summit Sports Park Oval and we would like to address those directly. One of the key reasons is that there is very little lasting infrastructure remaining, due to the ‘bump in’ and ‘bump out’ nature of the AFL Gather Round fixture. The cost prohibitive nature of a club seeking to host local matches and grand finals at such a venue is significant. We do acknowledge the outstanding playing surface and base facilities that have been provided at the Summit, however there are major reasons as to why this venue is not a viable alternative to hosting these games at dedicated club facilities such as Lobethal and Kersbrook.

The Hills Football League recently informed the Mount Barker District Council of the difficulties in utilising the Summit Sports Park Oval to host major matches and/or Grand Finals.

The league outlined several major issues including:
-The lack of permanent or even temporary fencing, enabling the ground to be closed off completely for an event.
-The need to restrict entry to a maximum of two entry points so admission to any event can be controlled for authorised entry and to ensure admission is paid on entry.

It was pointed out that these conditions were a league requirement for any finals venue to be considered and at this point in time we have not received any proposal from the Mount Barker council in terms of how this might be addressed.

The Hills Football League relies heavily on the ability to charge a modest admission fee to finals matches which is used to cover many of the costs associated with running the events with any surplus forming part of the annual general revenue which allows the league to operate from a base of financial security and certainty.

Additionally, the Mount Barker Football Club has been seeking sustainable ways to utilise this facility and to date they have made significant capital contributions towards upgrading the kitchen and interior facilities. These works were required in order for them to be able to host a full game day experience including BBQ, prepared meals, bar facilities and spaces for patrons to participate in a day of country football matches.

No contribution or financial relief from usage fees has been received from the council to assist in this process and this has made the situation untenable for the club on any permanent basis, as the return from a game day is minimal to break even at best. All HFL Clubs rely on home games to generate enough revenue to run multiple football programs from Auskick and Modified rules teams through to Junior and Senior Colts. This is in addition of course to Senior Football Teams across multiple grades in Men’s and Women’s football. The inability to promote awareness of sponsors and to truly create a ‘Home Game’ experience, has directly led to a decrease in sponsorship revenues and activity on which the HFL and clubs rely on for their continued viability and future success.
The league was initially excited to have this development in the region, however ongoing usage fees, licence arrangements, facility issues, liquor licensing issues and the inability to use this facility for premier matches within the season and at finals time, has rendered it as an unviable venue choice. To date the council has not been responsive to the needs of the Hills Football League or the Mount Barker Football Club.

It would be a great shame that in one of the fastest growing areas in the state, that there was a facility that could not be utilised to its full potential due to an unwillingness to hear the concerns of the Hills Football League and the football community generally. As it stands, we cannot foresee any way, without meaningful dialogue and engagement, that Summit Sports Park Oval will be a viable facility for use by any of the clubs in the Hills Football League for the foreseeable future. The Summit Sports Park Oval has been excluded as a venue for the 2023 Hills Football League Grand Final matches.

For comment or clarification, please contact Joanne Purdie, President, Hills Football League Inc.
Email: hflincpresident@gmail.com

Then the Mount Barker Council responded with this: https://www.mountbarker.sa.gov.au/_...cil-address-HFL-withdrawal-9-October-2023.pdf

SSRP Board and Council address HFL withdrawal
In light of recent public statements and commentary, the Summit Sport and Recreation Park (SSRP) Board and the Mount Barker District Council feel it would help public understanding to clarify critical points to ensure transparency.
We acknowledge the Mount Barker Football Club (the Roos) decision to abstain from training and playing at SSRP. This decision, while respected, prompts us to emphasise that our doors remain open. We warmly encourage the Roos to engage in dialogue with the SSRP Board and Council to navigate through any existing issues collaboratively. Council and the Board retain a keen interest in seeing the Roos and other Hills Football League clubs use the SSRP for their games and training
Key Facts and Historical Context:
  1. With significant funding from the State and Australian governments and peak sporting bodies, the SSRP was designed to facilitate various sports and community recreation at a regional level, not to serve as a dedicated home base for any single club.
  2. This is why Licences were provided to sporting associations, including the Hills Football League (HFL), and not individual clubs, under a transparent operating model and clear cost structures, enabling them to manage match programming effectively for their respective member clubs.
  3. The Board allowed licensees to seek sponsorship (other than naming rights of the oval and clubhouse - which is reserved for the Board - to support them in raising revenue and managing costs in relation to their licence.
  4. Sponsorship income has always been available for the HFL to secure under the license agreement subject to any sponsorship proposal being tabled with the SSRP Board for approval.
  5. HFL did not present the Board with any sponsorship proposals or opportunities.
  6. The HFL did not take out a liquor license for the SSRP facility for the winter AFL season when it was a license holder, therefore requiring the individual users to organise and manage their own liquor licensing requirements.
7. HFL advised that it was voluntarily withdrawing from its Australian Rules football license agreement with the SSRP Board in May this year, despite being fully aware of all costs, responsibilities and opportunities involved upon entering the agreement.
Impact and Ongoing Developments:
  1. HFL’s withdrawal occurred in May, after the winter AFL football season had commenced, thus not providing the Board with an opportunity to plan and program the facility or engage with clubs widely in response based on a full season.
  2. The HFL decision has unfortunately burdened member clubs with the necessity to move over to a casual hire system administered through Council.
  3. Casual hire of the SSRP is intended to be for short term or ad-hoc community and commercial use rather than regular use, which would normally be covered under a licence agreement.
  4. Council heavily subsidises the cost of operating and maintaining all sections of the Summit Sport and Recreation Park. The Board only recovers around 1 per cent of the total operating costs of the venue from licensees.
  5. The SSRP Board, in response to HFL’s request to withdraw from the licence agreement, had discussions with the Mount Barker Football Club and asked them to provide a proposal on how they would operate the facility as the licence holder and to set out how a regional use shared model would work under their model which is different to the lease model that they currently hold at Hanson oval. Despite ongoing dialogue a solution was not formalised
Quotes attributable to SSRP Board chairperson Iain Evans
While the Summit Sport and Recreation Park is still undergoing enhancements, it has always been anticipated that additional improvements would be progressively implemented. This approach allows for adaptations in alignment with evolving funding opportunities, programming requirements, and user needs, ensuring that the development of the facility remains responsive and strategically guided.
The Board remains focussed on providing a multi-purpose venue that provides the infrastructure required for multiple uses and user groups. Matters such as the finalisation of the permanent perimeter fence, more permanent seating, better scoreboard functionality as well as fixtures and fittings resident within the Australian Rules football clubhouse to allow for better bump in/bump out use remains our priority. Capital projects have been highlighted in our Board reports and Annual Business Plan requirements.
 

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Summit Sport and Recreation Park (Mt Barker, SA)

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