Netball courts ‘a safety risk’

Kim Waters
DRYSDALE netballers fear “dangerous” sporting facilities will result in a player injury.
Peninsula Netball Association member Joan Twomey said the league had engaged in a two-year funding battle with City Hall for an upgrade of their dilapidated facilities in Granville Street.
“At the moment the court doesn’t have very good run off, so if it rains or gets dirty the water and muck just stays there,” Twomey said.
“The netball rings are so old and all deteriorating really badly, so we’ve been a bit afraid they’ll fall over.
“We have four courts but have basically stopped using two of them because it’s just too dangerous.”
Association president Lyn Yearwood said she had worked with various City officers over the past two years to organise funding for the league.
“We’ve been working with council but since we started the issue has been passed on to five different people and we’ve been beating our heads against a brick wall,” Yearwood said.
“The major problem is a lack of consistency with the council. It’s been giving us a lot of headaches.”
Yearwood said 300 netballers used the courts on Saturdays and 550 during a Wednesday night competition.
“The courts aren’t wide enough by Netball Victoria standards and the posts have to come in and out so much that they’re basically unserviceable.”
Yearwood said the association was ineligible for a latest round of funding from Sport and Recreation Victoria.
“Because we’re a separate association we can’t get any of the funding. The Drysdale football and netball club might get $60,000 for a new court but we can’t apply for that grant.”
Council last week approved a City Hall submission to Sport and Recreation Victoria for a number of facilities in Geelong and on the Bellarine Peninsula.
City sport and recreation manger Paul Jane said an officer was “currently working with Peninsula Netball Association” for funding.
“The City has previously applied for funding in relation to this project but the application was unsuccessful,” Jane said.
“We are currently developing an application for funding, to be submitted later in the year.”