Council
31 October, 2025
Wollondilly to trial new sportsground consultation groups
Wollondilly Shire Council will trial Sportsground Volunteer Consultation Groups at three of its facilities.
Wollondilly Shire Council will trial Sportsground Volunteer Consultation Groups at three of its facilities.
The consultation groups will replace Section 355 Management Committees at Thirlmere Sportsground, Douglas Park Sportsground and the Tahmoor District Sporting Complex.
The trial will last for 12 months – after which council will review the success and relevance of the consultation groups and determine on-going resourcing requirements.
Under the new model, the volunteer consultation groups will provide strategic advice on facility use and development while council will manage bookings, finance and maintenance.
According to staff, the approach will maintain strong community input into the use and improvement of sportsgrounds and at the same time streamline operations by placing day-to-day administrative responsibilities with council.
The groups’ initial focus will be to provide input into the strategic allocation of funds previously managed by the Section 355 committees. These recommendations will align with the current master plans and overall strategic direction for each of the three facilities.
Council has developed terms of reference for the volunteer consultation groups and will recruit members through a public Expression of Interest process. Each group will be chaired by a council officer and membership for all members will be dissolved/renewed every four years in line with electoral term of council.
The groups will not be responsible for making decisions but will provide user group representation, advice and input to council on the views, needs and interests of facility users. They will also contribute to the planning, delivery and evaluation of site-specific projects and other relevant events and activities.
However there are concerns about the impact the new model will have on staff workload.
Cr Ally Dench, who moved the motion, acknowledged the importance of Wollondilly’s sporting facilities and the volunteers who have supported them for many years.
“Their contribution has been invaluable and I really welcome a model that continues community input whilst simplifying administration for everyone involved.”
She said the trial would provide valuable insights into how the model works on the ground, how well it engages with the community and how sustainable it is in the long term.
However Cr Dench said staff would be taking on ‘significant’ extra responsibilities without any additional resourcing.
“Introducing the groups without additional resourcing risks overloading teams and could compromise service delivery and the quality of engagement with our volunteers,” she said.
Cr Dench said it was a governance issue with potential reputational risks.
“It is our role to ensure we are not setting up a structure that is destined to underperform because it is not being adequately supported,” she said.
“We need to be confident that if this model is to be successful we have a sustainable way of supporting it going forward.”
Cr Suzy Brandstater described sportsgrounds as the ‘beating heart’ of many Wollondilly communities.
“For decades they have thrived only because of the passion and commitment of the volunteers – they’re the ones who have kept them going,” she said.
Cr Brandstater said the new model valued community input – “which is so important” – but would also ensure council delivered efficient and consistent management across all of its facilities.
She said the model would allow council to “keep local voices at the table, preserve knowledge and community pride” whilst freeing up volunteers from ‘heavy’ administration and other responsibilities.
“This means volunteers can do what they best – shaping the future of their facilities and championing the needs of their clubs and communities,” Cr Brandstater said.
She described it as a positive step forward that would ensure the region’s sporting facilities “continue to grow with the needs of our community”.
Cr Dench said she was looking forward to seeing how the trial progressed over the next 12 months but is certain that additional resourcing will be critical to the sustainability and success of the model moving forward.
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