National Infrastructure Audit sets stage for infrastructure upgrades in NSW

Since 2022, over 2200 venues across NSW have been audited to collate data on the condition and provision of cricket infrastructure. The NIA was overseen by Cricket Australia and undertaken by Cricket NSW (CNSW) staff, councils and club volunteers utilising the platform Sports Facility Auditor (SFA). The NIA was completed to gain a clear understanding of all cricket infrastructure, from Community Cricket all the way through to Premier Cricket, to enable Cricket to build plans to respond to any identified compliance or provision gaps.  

The NIA can easily be termed one of Australian sports’ biggest infrastructure-related projects. It is well worth the significant efforts of the last two years and has allowed administrators to access information on cricket infrastructure, including images, at the click of a button.  

While CNSW is not the asset-owner of most cricket infrastructure across NSW, it is a key stakeholder for councils and organisations that own and maintain these grounds. In August 2023, Cricket Australia released the latest and most comprehensive edition of the Community Cricket Facility Guidelines. This document covers all facets of cricket infrastructure from core playing components such as pitch dimensions, orientation and field of play design through to auxiliary cricket infrastructure such as lighting for field of play and training, change facilities, drainage and irrigation design.​ 

The NIA provides a clear understanding of the current provision and condition of cricket infrastructure. This has allowed CNSW to identify consistent themes and compliance or provision issues across multiple regions. This includes investment in asset types such as gender-neutral change facilities or spectator grandstands that need long-term planning and commitment, which can now be more easily progressed as the first steps to identify priority areas for investment have now been undertaken via the NIA.

The data collected via the NIA can be filtered and presented to meet the needs and requirements of different stakeholders. This includes creating high-level or granular datasets or dashboards by cricket region, cricket area, LGA or State and Federal electorate. This allows the data to service the needs of the end user and provides information and insights on the condition or provision gap that needs to be addressed at any given venue.

 Dean Hunter, State Infrastructure Manager, Cricket NSW, said: 

“The information collected via the NIA allows for a strategic approach to planning and funding of infrastructure upgrades. Our next steps are to bring this information to LGA’s and other Government stakeholders to collaborate on the development of plans to build and improve the State’s cricket infrastructure. 

“The timing of the completed NIA aligns well with the Round 1 of the 2024/25 Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund (ACIF) opening on October 1, 2024. Many of the asset gaps identified through the NIA process may provide prospective projects for upcoming rounds of the ACIF.” 

Fiona Baxter, Head of Infrastructure, Cricket Australia, said: 

“Australian Cricket’s recently completed National Infrastructure Audit has brought together a wealth of information on cricket infrastructure across the country. This important data will play a key role in strategic infrastructure planning and will help to ensure that investment is appropriately targeted to support great outcomes for players, spectators and volunteers now and into the future.”