Over several years Council has had an ongoing issue
with a number of regular dog incidents involving the public, Council staff and
sporting club users at Kingsford Smith Oval.
Kingsford Smith Oval plays host to third and fourth grade cricket in the
second highest level of club cricket in Sydney and last year was voted by the
players in the competition as the third best ground in Sydney. A fulltime
groundskeeper is required at the oval, to provide a turf wicket for this level
of competition. Over the years there has been a steady increase in dog related
incidents at the oval and Council needs to provide a safe working environment
for its staff.
At the March 2020 Council meeting it was resolved to trial opening and
closing the gates daily during staff work hours. The trial commenced on 19
October 2020 and it was found that there was a reduction in dog related
incidents. Council is keen to ensure that there is further improvement in user behaviour in order to provide a safe workplace for Council staff.
Following the trial, at the December 2020 Council Meeting,
Council resolved to:
Continue the opening and
closing of the gates at Kingsford Smith Oval utilising Council staff
during the staff work hours, 6:30am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday;
Continue using the flag
system at Kingsford Smith Oval for both entire oval bookings, cricket net
bookings and selected maintenance works;
Undertake further
community education in relation to the arrangements at Kingsford Smith
Oval, the reasons for them and encouraging further improvement in user
behaviour
If dog related incidents
continue to occur (including verbal abuse towards Council staff), then
Kingsford Smith Oval will be designated an on-leash area during the staff
working hours.
For more information and to read the Council report, please
visit Council’s
website and click on the December Agenda. You can also view the Meeting
Minutes on the same webpage.
Flag system
A coloured-flag system was implemented at Kingsford
Smith Oval in March to help dog owners know when their dogs are allowed
off-leash, on-leash or not allowed on the oval at all. The flags will be
displayed depending on the use of the oval and reflects the implementation of
the Companion Animals Act 1998.
For more information, please visit see the Frequently Asked Questions.
Did you know you can check the availability of Council’s
facilities including indoor venues, sports grounds and parks and reserves
on the Council website?
To do so, simply follow these steps:
Visit the Facilities webpage;
Under the Availability
bullet point, select Library, Indoor Venues, Sports Grounds or Parks
and Reserves;
The calendar will highlight
whether the facility is available. Busy times are blocked out in red.
