Brisbane City Council Sports Field Audits 2023

During Summer and Autumn of 2023, over 550 sports fields were assessed as part of the Brisbane City Council Sports Field Audit project undertaken by IVM Group.

Objective of the audits

• Measure the current condition of each sports field.
• Provide information to Council that will increase its understanding of the condition of the city’s sports fields.
• Generate data that can be compared with past and future audits.
• Provide a prioritised field improvement program, with potential costs, based on the data collected for each field.
• Deliver summary reports for each field, including practical management advice, that will provide sports clubs with information essential in the development of a proactive turf management program.

Solution

• Data to be collected from 5 or 6 sampling locations in each field.
• The location where each of these samples were collected and the data from each sample point was recorded using a Smart Phone App.
• In addition, some other information and general observations were also made (i.e. pest infestations, safety hazards etc.)
• The field assessments were followed by detailed analysis of the data.

Outcomes

• A ratings system was developed in order to provide a simple and easy to understand measure for the data obtained during the audit.
• An overall rating was calculated for each field (This rating is not just an indication of the general appearance of the field, but also takes into account a wide range of other important aspects that are not visually apparent (e.g. soil characters, playability, safety etc.).
• Individual reports were generated for each of the fields, ready for distribution to the sporting clubs.
• An overall report was written for BCC that outlines the methods used and provides an overview of the findings.
• A spreadsheet has also been developed which includes all of the data, along with a prioritised and costed field improvement program.