Action plan to preserve City’s playing fields
THE CITY of Cape Town and the South African Football Association (Safa) have committed to working together to manage the various playing fields and mitigate further damage from the drought.
The City said there was absolutely no option of irrigating fields with potable water, even in exceptional circumstances.
The city and Safa met to discuss how to manage the upcoming soccer season when the majority of the city’s sports fields have not been irrigated for months. Both agreed that it was not possible for the soccer season to continue as per usual.
The city had more than 500 sports fields, and 50% of these were in a state of considerable distress.
“The situation calls for active management by both the city and Safa in order to preserve our sports fields,” said mayco member for assets and facilities management, Stuart Diamond.
“Although these are certainly trying times, Safa is positive that the good working relationship we enjoy with the city will ensure the best possible outcome for the soccer season.
“Without this partnership with the city we would not be able to adequately respond to the impact that the drought is having on our playing fields,” said Safa Cape Town project leader for facilities Bennett Bailey.
“I want to thank Safa for their willingness to proactively tackle the impending crisis. A triage system has been developed to categorise field conditions by assigning a red, amber, or green status to each on a weekly basis. These categories have corresponding usage conditions where play on some fields will be suspended immediately, and limited to two or three hours per week on others,” said mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith.
The city’s recreation and parks department and Safa had formed a task team to ensure certain provisions were taken to enable special events in the soccer calendar to take place.
Safa would assist the city in mapping out where alternative water sources existed, and where resources were to be prioritised to ensure that as far as possible the soccer season could continue.
As part of this effort, Diamond reiterated the city’s commitment to improving Athlone Stadium to provide a top-class facility.
The city was mindful of the effects of climate change, and so with longer-term thinking in mind had already invested in 29 synthetic pitches. These pitches did not require water for irrigation and, unlike a grass field, they could withstand unlimited hours of play. – ANA