The NSFA Facilities Strategy has been created to provide a clear roadmap to futureproof football in the region as player numbers continue to increase. The biggest challenge for NSFA and its five councils is the increasing demand on local fields, with council studies indicating we will need to increase field capacity approximately 40% by 2032 to meet our growing participation base.
Our facilities strategy focusses on increasing the carrying capacity of sportsfields, which relates to increasing the amount of users on each field within the Association, both by yield (ie. amount of people per hour) and total hours of use permitted per week.
Our strategy was created by working with our 30 member clubs to understand the facilities within NSFA and identify areas of opportunity for increasing capacity; such as the installation of floodlights, resurfacing or the conversion to synthetic grass. The consolidated priority projects were discussed with our councils to ensure alignment and provide clear understanding as to how best meet the future needs of our members and local residents.
Each year NSFA members contribute to the NSFA Facilities Levy within their registration fee. These funds are used to contribute to key projects and the finalisation of our Facilities Strategy defines how our members money will be used to overcome the biggest challenge of all – finding places to play for everyone.
NSFA will use this strategy as our script when lobbying council, working with partners and seeking financial support to provide a greater football experience for our members.