Invest in indoor facilities: Aktive

Inadequate investment in sport, recreation and physical activity in Auckland risks driving participation rates down, say sports administrators.

Aktive - Auckland Sport & Recreation identified the cost of being active and a lack of open space for fitfor-purpose facilities as some of the biggest barriers to participation in sport.

‘‘All Aucklanders regardless of age, ethnicity and ability should be able to participate in sport, recreation or physical activity in fit-forpurpose facilities and spaces,’’ Aktive chief executive Sarah Sandley said.

During the current consultation period on Auckland Council’s 10-year Budget, Aktive wanted ‘‘more recognition and investment’’ in sport and recreation in Auckland’s future plans.

Aktive acknowledged that 13 local boards set out key local priorities for consultation that relate to sport and recreation. However, the organisation said these were underfunded.

Aktive research said the Auckland region had a shortfall of 30 indoor courts, 70 outdoor netball courts, 15 hockey turfs, as well as winter sports fields shortfall in hours that was equivalent to around 50 artificial turfs.

Upper Harbour Local Board had prioritised the construction of an indoor, multi-use, multi-sport facility.

For Harbour Volleyball board member Richard Casutt, the prospect of a new indoor facility was welcome news. Currently, volleyball did not have its own dedicated facility. Instead, all court time was hired.

Casutt said local hireage rates were so ‘‘exorbitant’’, that the Harbour Volleyball-run Northern Zone competition, which included 26 Auckland teams, played games in Hamilton and Tauranga because gym hire was ‘‘half the price’’.

Casutt said Auckland court hire charges were the most expensive in the country and it was the children playing the game who bore the brunt of the cost.

In the past eight years, the Harbour region went from two high schools playing competitively to 13 .

Volleyball had to compete with the likes of basketball and badmintonfor courts and Casutt said he feared the situation would get to a point where players were turned away if more indoor facilities could not be accommodated in Auckland.

Volleyball is growing in popularity but there is a shortage of available court space.