Wikaparntu Wirra Park
Netball and community courts improvements through the Park's netball courts upgrade
South Australia

This upgrade was part of the Adelaide Park Lands Management Strategy 2015-2025, which recommended improvements to the netball and community courts in the Park.

Being used by over 200 teams throughout the year for school and amateur netball games, the existing courts had significantly aged and needed an urgent upgrade.

The site had no formal drainage network (i.e. pits and pipes), so the courts drained into adjacent drainage swales. Also, the subgrade consisted of a highly reactive clay which needed to be considered in the design of the court pavement.

The 24 new acrylic courts replaced the badly deteriorated existing 20 courts. The existing pavement was reclaimed and reused by blending with existing subgrade material and mixed with lime/cement to provide a firm base substrate.

Due to the lack of formalised drainage infrastructure, the courts required the use of concrete invert channels to intercept the run-off and direct it towards drainage swales, as a pit and pipe drainage network would have been too deep and unable to discharge into the swales.

This major transformation to the netball facility reinstalled Wikaparntu Wirra Park as a regional netball hub in metropolitan Adelaide.

What’s more, the new community courts and play elements brought further recreation opportunities for both families and the wider community visiting the park for sport. The design is well-appreciated as the orange courts with blue surround are quite striking at night-time and make it a fun environment to play netball.

Commenting on the upgrades, City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese stated, “the netball courts in the South West Park Lands are one of the best-utilised sporting facilities in the City of Adelaide, and we welcome the State Government’s continued investment in our Park Lands.

Improving sporting facilities in our Park Lands encourages further participation in sports, increases levels of physical activity and promotes a healthier, more active community.

It will be wonderful to see these rejuvenated courts being well-used by the community during the day and night, further activating what is a beautiful part of our city.”

Source: $3.2 million upgrade of Adelaide Park Lands netball facilities begins by Australian Leisure Management