Shellharbour City Council spotlights its commitment to equitable, safe, inclusive facilities

Shellharbour City Council has spotlighted its commitment to providing equitable, safe and inclusive facilities across the city, noting that the Shell Cove Multipurpose Sportsfield is no different.

Australian Community Media publications including Milton Ulladulla Times, Illawarra Mercury and South Coast Register last week reported that one of the groups involved in the design of the Shell Cove Multipurpose Sportsfield has advised that women's change rooms have been left out of the plans.

Shellharbour City Council has responded by noting that Council “aligns our standard sportsfield and amenities designs with requirements stipulated by sports governing bodies and the Office of Sport who set the standards for sporting facilities.”

Council's designs have also evolved from learnings at prior facilities, stakeholder engagement and consultation.

The Shell Cove Multipurpose Sportsfield is expected to reach completion in mid-2026 and is proposed to deliver state-of-the-art facilities, including:

• High-quality oval-shaped sports field

• Synthetic cricket training nets

• Accessible public toilets

• Amenities building

• Car parking

The design of the facility has provided change rooms that are versatile in their use including;

• Competitions for gender specific (one gender at a time with no game overlaps)

• Competitions for mixed gender teams,

• Training and general community use.

Considering the uses, the proposed layout of the facility enables use of change rooms by both male and female participants, with the provision of separate shower and change cubicles providing added privacy in comparison to the existing change rooms.

Additionally, the design considers use of slide signage making the change rooms more versatile. For example.

• For competition use signage shows dedicated Home and Away Change Rooms

• For social competitions, general community, and training use, signage shows dedicated 1x Male Change Room and 1x Female Change Room.

Shellharbour City Council notes “this proposed layout both supports and enables both junior and senior women to participate and thrive in a variety of outdoor sports without compromising personal privacy and without feeling separated from their teams where teams are mixed gender.

“Similarly, the same principle has been applied to the referee facility with a separate shower change cubicle and toilet cubicle for privacy.

“Council recognises the benefits for many women and girls to have access to welcoming and inclusive sporting facilities and is committed to creating a level playing field for all women and girls in sport.”

Council has sought grant funding through the NSW Government’s Level the Playing Field Program and has been working closely with AFL NSW/ACT during this process who have provided a letter of support to accompany their application.

Shellharbour City Council, located in the NSW Illawarra region, advises “we aim to provide fair and equitable facilities across Shellharbour, with a standard design for Amenities Buildings that caters to all clubs and codes. However, the opportunity also exists for clubs to make a funding contribution to supplement the project budget to improve the amenity given.

“Council is currently working with a contractor to develop the detailed design. Once this is complete, the development application will be submitted and will be placed on public exhibition as part of the application and approval process.

“This facility is being designed to cater to the community's needs, providing a modern and accessible space for sports enthusiasts and the general public alike and will enrich the character of the Shell Cove area.”

Image. Credit: Shellharbour City Suns Senior AFL