Learn how to maintain and improve your sports field. Find information about installing sports field and hard-court lighting.
A sports field can be your organisation’s most valuable asset. Properly maintaining your sports field will help it withstand extended high use and provide a safe playing environment for your members and other users.
You should create a tailored 12-month maintenance plan to ensure your organisation's allocated field maintenance budget is used efficiently.
The end of a playing season is the ideal time to prepare the turf for the next season, but also allow it to recover and repair from the previous playing season. All turf remediation practices should begin in the middle of September. This will generally coincide with the club's respective playing schedules.
Aeration, fertilising and irrigation should be scheduled in throughout the year to ensure the playing surface is kept in good condition.
You can download examples of annual field maintenance plans.
During drought conditions, the usage of the field should be managed and kept to a minimum.
To minimise wear and tear and responsibly manage your field:
It is important that watering (irrigation) of the fields is timed correctly, dependent on the time and season.
From mid-September onwards, as the weather gets warmer, organisations should start to increase their watering schedules.
Healthy turf requires around 35 millimetres of water per week, which is equivalent to 350,000 litres of water per hectare. To calculate the litres required per week for watering, multiply the field area in square metres by the number of millimetres of water you are aiming to provide.
It is important that your organisation considers the cost of watering when developing the annual budget.
The central control system is designed to maximise irrigation usage, which enables flexibility and oversight of the system when operating remotely. If you have a rain sensor installed, make sure it is active and working correctly. This device can save you from irrigating fields unnecessarily.
For information about the central control water monitoring system or advice on the setup and operation of the system, call Council on 07 3403 8888.
Fertilising and nutrition programs ensure healthy turf grass that is suitable for sports fields.
A good place to start when establishing a nutrition program is to conduct soil and leaf tissue testing, accompanied by an evaluation of turf health and quality to ensure accurate application. The general ‘rule of thumb’ for plant nutrition should be ‘little and often’ and only applying nutrients/fertiliser when absolutely necessary.
You can seek the services of a reputable and specialised turf consulting company to undertake soil or leaf tissue tests on the organisation's behalf. Alternatively, Council undertakes soil tests on a regular basis and can provide the latest turf audit reports on request.
Light scarifying is recommended before and after the playing season. This is an important turf management process that involves the removal of the dead thatch layer that accumulates over a playing season.
To prevent the germination and spread of weeds, it is recommended that a pre-emergent herbicide is applied to the sports field to minimise weed infestations and prevent seeds from germinating on the field.
Pre-emergent herbicides generally have a residual effect of 6 months and need to be reapplied halfway through the year for cover across the entire playing season.
Herbicide treatments should only be applied when weeds and turf are actively growing and when the soil has at least normal amounts of moisture.
Herbicides should not be applied when the turf is under drought stress.
In accordance with Council policy, any fill or soil material imported to Council parks needs to be certified clean (free of contaminants) or from a quarry source.
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, everyone, including individuals and organisations, has a general biosecurity obligation to take all reasonable steps to ensure they do not spread fire ants. To view a map of the fire ant biosecurity zones and learn more about what you need to do to prevent the spread of fire ants, visit the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Increasing the frequency of mowing promotes lateral grass growth and a thick sward. The turf will become very dense and have the ability to recover faster.
The mowing height of your sport field turf should remain consistent throughout the year. The specific height requirements for your sport should also be considered.
Council recommends mowing 3 times per week during the growing season to thicken up the turf. The frequency of mowing should reduce only slightly during the cooler months.
Only a third of the leaf blade should be cut at any time to prevent stress on the turf.
If significant grass clippings remain on the surface of your sports field, this indicates that you are not mowing regularly enough. This will increase thatch levels and cause problems such as dead patches, water logging and poor drainage.
Aeration is an essential part of sports field maintenance and should be conducted as often as possible. At a minimum, it should be done quarterly.
Aeration helps to:
Aeration and fertilising works should be scheduled together to get maximum results.
To further support tenants in managing and maintaining their premises, condition audits of all sports fields are undertaken by Council every year.
The purpose of these audits is to assist Council in understanding the condition of the city's sports fields and to provide tenants with essential information for the development of a proactive turf management program.
The assessment involves a scientific evaluation (i.e. agronomic assessment) of the sports field/s, along with the collection of data to support field performance and safety.
A report summarises the findings of the audit and provides practical management advice.
Whilst community facility tenants are expected to be supportive of the public accessing their leased premises when they are not using them for their activities, tenants can restrict access to areas that are being remediated or rested.
If you need to restrict public access to undertake remediation works, you should erect safe, temporary fencing (e.g. bunting, also known as orange tape, with capped star pickets) and provide signage to explain why the field has been closed and for how long.
Irrigation Australia Ltd is Australia's peak, national, not-for-profit organisation representing the Australian irrigation industry in all sectors. It also provides information on a range of irrigation-related areas, including:
The Sports Turf Association, Qld Inc. (STA Qld) provides a network of turf grounds managers who are involved in managing sports and passive turf facilities in Queensland. STA Qld is a not-for-profit association committed to providing education, training opportunities, and enhancing the professionalism of turf grounds managers within the state.
A reputable turf management company can also provide advice and deliver services that may assist your organisation to maintain and/or remediate your sports fields.
If you are looking to upgrade or develop your sports field/s, you will to lodge an application for works to seek approval from Council as landlord.
For further advice on sports field maintenance or obtain a copy of your latest sports field audit, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.
Sports field and hard-court lighting are infrastructure investments that your organisation may use to deliver your activities and enable future growth.
Lighting infrastructure should be custom designed using the latest software and technology to be cost-effective and energy efficient.
If you're looking to upgrade or install new sports fields or hard-court lighting at your community facility, it is important you consider the following information before you apply to Council, as landlord, to undertake the works.
The decision should be made in consultation with all user groups, Council and the relevant sport's governing body/s. It's also important to consider the approvals and certifications required, as well as Australian Standards which must be met.
The first step is to determine if your proposed lighting project is feasible by reviewing your current situation, site suitability, lighting needs, potential benefits and resources required.
It is highly recommended you:
A list of qualified professionals can be found by contacting the Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand. You can request the names of members experienced in the design of sports lighting.
As a community facility tenant, you must apply for Council approval, as landlord, prior to undertaking any works on your site.
If you receive Council approval as landlord, you will also be advised of other approvals that may be required.
All electrical and lighting works are required to be compliant with all applicable Australian Standards, codes, and local authority requirements.
Refer to Australian Standard 2560.2:2021 series for sports lighting and the relevant sporting code requirements. There are different lighting levels required for training and competition for each sport. Confirm with your regional, state or national sports governing body for any requirements above the Australian Standard.
Lighting designs must be prepared, and signed design and installation certifications provided, by a suitable qualified sports field lighting designer who is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand. They must have a minimum grade of MEIS or a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) - Electrical.
Electrical systems must be installed and signed off by an RECQ.
Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting technology must be used for all upgrades and new lighting developments.
For more advice on sports field management or installing new sports field or hard-court lighting, call Council on 07 3403 8888.