Court Operations and Access

Feedback from the local community has raised concerns with people staying on courts longer than they should be as well as accessing courts for commercial purposes like coaching or clinics. Already sporting clubs like netball are required to make a booking to get exclusive access to the court. Council also has tennis courts which customers can exclusively book.

This engagement will only inform Council on what the community’s preferences are for court access. Staff will report back to the community on the results and recommendations from the engagement in early 2022.

At this stage, consultation is considering the operations of facilities. If any upgrades are considered in the future, the community will be consulted on these separately.

Enclosed facilities offer the opportunity for exclusive and controlled access and contain balls and equipment within the facility. There are only a small number of facilities (these two sites, 1 netball court site and tennis court sites) which are enclosed and can offer a different customer experience for sport and recreation activities.

Facilities that are not enclosed are not being considered as part of this engagement and their operations will remain as is.

An online booking system assists in the operation of the courts as it allows customers to secure a timeslot so they have a confirmed booking when they turn up at the courts; it ensures customers follow booking rules (i.e. can only book for a certain amount of time); the system allows Council to track if there are any bookings that may be by a commercial hirer or if there are reports from the community of people not following rules, the hirer can be pin-pointed; it provides data and a database of contacts so we can understand how the courts are used and keep people up-to-date on the courts operations and what programs may be happening locally.

If you would like an insight on how the online booking system operates at some of Council’s tennis facilities, please visit: https://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/recreation/tennis-courts

Why is a fee being considered?

Like Council’s other tennis court and sport and recreation facilities, a fee is associated with exclusive access to a site so that the customer receives a confirmation letter that it is booked for them; it ensures customers don’t block book the court for an extended period and/or book the site and not show up. Booked facilities also have a higher service standard, as higher use means more frequent and specific cleaning/maintenance, maintenance of nets and supporting infrastructure and/or maintaining lighting.

Bookings for tennis will be made available here: www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/tennis

Tennis was the key sport where the community saw a benefit for making a booking and paying a fee as the courts cannot be shared when used for tennis. As Dunrossil and Dundas are in a netball configuration for a period of time, when they are not used for netball, the community will be able to use them. This arrangement has successfully been working at Dunrossil Park so will also be carried over to Dundas Park. When they are able to be accessed as free courts a pin which will be listed on Council's website will have to be entered at the pin pad and the court operating times will be in place. This is to ensure the residents that are very closely bordering the courts are not impacted too early in the morning or late at night.