From the outset, it’s essential to understand and clearly define what the plan aims to achieve. Establishing a shared vision and measurable objectives provides a strong foundation for decision-making and prioritisation throughout the process. Things to consider include:

• Develop a project brief which clearly defines the project's guiding principles, scope, deliverables, alignment with relevant Council and State Government plans and required budget.
• Establish project governance structure including reporting, decision pathways and communication and record keeping protocols.
• Develop relevant plans/registers that will help deliver the project, including:
  • Stakeholder engagement and communication plan – identify key project stakeholders and means/timelines for engagement.
  • Project risk register – identify project risks and mitigation strategies.
  • Budget tracker – develop a system to track and report on project budget.
  • Project schedule – identify timelines and key project milestones.

Understanding the current and future demographics of a facility’s local community and the broader region helps determine how well the facility meets existing and emerging community needs, while also highlighting any gaps in facility or service provision.

Things to consider include:

• Engage early with key stakeholders such as, local sporting clubs, state sporting organisations and relevant state government agencies to determine current and future trends, facility development needs and opportunities.
• Undertake an analysis of the demographic characteristics of the local community and identification of actual and potential population growth areas. It is important to align tis work with the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan or the relevant South Australian Country Regional Plans.
• When presenting maps and data, always provide a conclusion for each map/data presented about what this means for the community/broader region moving forward.

Things to consider include:

• Categorise facilities by facility type rather than by specific sports. This approach gives a clearer, more accurate picture of supply and demand, helping you to plan and invest more efficiently for multiple sports and community uses.

• A comprehensive understanding of current facility assets and the programs they support should be established through an audit process that considers the following:

Where are the facilities physically located (spatial analysis)?

• Determine current facility provision and distribution. This includes determining:
• If the facility has good links to major road networks and connections to public transport, cycling and pedestrian routes, natural corridors and other community facilities or services.
• How the facility fits into the network and hierarchy of recreation and sport facilities provided in the council area and the broader region.
• Include schools (public and private) recreation and sport facilities in the audit.

How are facilities managed (ownership and management model)?

• Who owns the land/facility.
• Lease/licence arrangements.
• Term, conditions and security of tenure.
• Implications for investment.

What clubs/community groups use the facilities (sport profile)?

• Who leases/licenses the site, what activities they provide to the community, and how often they provide them.

Who uses the facility (participant profile)?

• Determine who uses the facility. Consider collecting participant data by age, gender, activity participated in and residential postcode. Where possible, collect data for the last 3–5 years to identify trends such as increasing or decreasing participation.
• Consider undertaking a Capacity and Utilisation Analysis to determine facility use and demand pressures. Data to consider includes:
  • Peak vs off-peak use (evidence from clubs or booking data).
  • Turn-away demand (evidence from clubs or booking data).
  • Capacity constraints (e.g. only one full-size court).

What infrastructure is provided at the facility (inventory of assets)?

• What currently exists at the facility (number of courts/playing fields, lighting and lux levels, supporting facilities such as clubrooms, and the number of male, female and accessible change rooms and toilets), and the extent to which facilities meet the required standards for the level of participation provided.

What is the current state of the facilities and related infrastructure (facility audit)?

• A comprehensive audit should assess all existing recreation and sport facilities to understand what is currently provided, how well each facility functions, and what upgrades or redevelopment may be required now and into the future. The audit should determine whether facilities are fit for purpose and identify any over or underutilisation issues.

Key Components of the Facility Audit

1. Facility Condition, Functionality and Utilisation
   • Assessment of condition and functionality (e.g. fit for purpose and meeting required sport standards).
   • Current utilisation levels and capacity (over or underuse).
   • Short, medium and long-term upgrade, renewal or redevelopment needs.
2. Facility Financial and Operational Assessment
   • Operating costs (e.g. utilities, maintenance and staffing where applicable).
   • Renewal, asset replacement and lifecycle costs.
   • Existing income streams (e.g. facility hire, leases, licences and events).
   • Cost-benefit considerations and operational efficiency.
3. Facility Accessibility and Inclusion Assessment
   • Disability access compliance (DDA).
   • Gender-inclusive design features.
   • Access to public transport and active travel connections.
   • Cultural inclusion opportunities and considerations.
   • Safety, lighting and passive surveillance.
4. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience Assessment
   • Energy use, efficiency measures and opportunities for improvement.
   • Water use, irrigation systems and turf/surface sustainability.
   • Existing solar, battery or other renewable energy infrastructure.
   • Exposure to climate risks (heat, flooding and storms) and resilience measures.
5. Safety and Compliance Assessment
   • Compliance with Work Health and Safety (WHS) requirements, including hazard identification and emergency management.
   • Compliance with relevant legislation and standards (e.g. Building Code of Australia, National Construction Code, Australian Standards and sport-specific facility guidelines).
   • Field-of-play safety, including surface quality, lighting levels, equipment safety, run-off zones and player, official and spectator circulation.
   • Structural integrity of buildings, shelters, lighting towers and other infrastructure.
   • Fire safety, electrical compliance and safe access/egress routes.
   • Security and personal safety measures such as CCTV, lighting and passive surveillance (CPTED principles).
   • Environmental health considerations, including waste management, hazardous materials and water quality where applicable.
   • Incident reporting processes and maintenance systems that address safety issues.

• Understanding gaps in current facility provision and ensuring alignment with broader strategic directions is essential for effective recreation and sport facility planning. A clear gap analysis helps identify where existing facilities may be insufficient, duplicated, or inefficiently distributed, while strategic alignment ensures that future investment decisions support community needs, regional priorities and long‑term planning objectives.

Things to consider include:

• Identification of gaps, duplication and/or oversupply of facilities.
• Identification of possible locations for the development of new recreation and sport facilities.
• Explore partnerships with local schools - consider co-investment opportunities in shared sporting infrastructure for school and community use.
• When presenting maps and data, always provide a conclusion for each map/data presented about what this means for the community/broader region moving forward.

Once all the data has been collected and analysed it needs to be synthesised into a final plan which identifies, justifies and prioritises projects to be delivered over the designated plan period (e.g. 5-10 years).

Things to consider include:

• Stakeholder engagement – to validate information gathered is correct.
• Ensure priority projects align with state recreation and sport, state government and council directions and objectives especially SA Government’s Greater Adelaide Regional Plans and SA Country Regional Plans.
• Identification and endorsement of infrastructure priority projects and implementation plan.
• Where required development of Business Cases for priority projects - the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing has developed a template that can be used for this purpose (refer Useful Resources section below).
• Integration of priority projects into other key organisation strategic and financial planning documents including the organisations asset management plan.
• Identification of possible funding models and sources for the delivery and on-going operations, management, maintenance and replacement of facilities.
• Implement a mechanism to progress, monitor and review/update of the plan.
• Remember the plan should be agile and don’t be afraid to review and reset priorities based on internal or external opportunities (e.g. availability of funding).

• Planning consideration checklist

Please note: some resources listed in the tables below reflect frameworks used outside of South Australia. Where relevant, users should refer to SA-specific policy, legislation and funding guidelines.

• Engage users early – participants, facility managers, to inform programming and facility development needs and spatial requirements.

• Recreation and sport facilities are long term assets that generally require large amounts of public money to develop, operate and maintain. It is critical that the design process should be considerate of this and aim to deliver the highest possible standard of facility balanced against funding realities including life-cycle costs.
• Develop an Asset Management Plan and budget for long-term facility management including determining operational, maintenance and upgrade/replacement costs and funding sources to avoid future financial strain.

• Ensure facilities are designed to meet compliance requirements such as appropriate run-offs or field-of-play dimensions including consideration of spectator and official traffic flow to cater for concurrent use by multiple sports.
• Design adaptable spaces (e.g., convertible courts, movable partitions) to support various sports, events, and community activities.
• Plan for future-proofing— design spaces to be flexible, adaptable and able to be re-invented to cater for changing community needs (e.g. ageing population).
• Where possible the design should accommodate potential future expansion options (permanent for future needs and/or temporary for event purposes).

• Facilities should be accessible for all and compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act and Universal Design Principles which includes providing accessible pathways, ramps, and amenities for people with disabilities and consider cultural inclusivity and gender equity in design (e.g., change rooms, toilets).
• Ensure inclusive design considers diverse cultural, gender, and age group needs.

• Design facilities to meet the specific needs of intended users. Align with state sporting body standards for dimensions, lighting, and amenities (e.g., changerooms, toilets (accessible), adequate storage, spectator areas such as shaded seating).

• Incorporate environmentally responsible design features, such as energy-efficient lighting, water-saving fixtures, and sustainable materials into the core design and explore renewable energy options (e.g. solar panels, batteries).
• Consideration should also be given to landscaping to reduce environmental impact and future proofing the site to cater for current/emerging technologies (e.g. power sources in car parks for electric cars).

• Provide sufficient parking for community use. Also, consider active transport options (bike racks, pedestrian pathways) and ensure there are clear routes for ambulances and emergency vehicles.

• Integrate safety measures into the design: non-slip finishes, good lighting, monitoring systems (CCTV), emergency response planning, secure access controls.
• Incorporate CPTED principles (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) for lighting, sightlines, and secure/controlled entry points.
• Consider digital booking systems and smart lighting to support efficient shared use.

• Co-locate community infrastructure like cafés, plazas, and playgrounds into the facility design

• Use durable, low-maintenance materials and robust equipment to reduce lifecycle costs.
• Optimise layout for effective traffic flow, equipment storage, staff operations, and maintenance routines.

• Adhere to governing body specifications for court and field dimensions, safety zones, spectator seating.
• Ensure compliance with relevant building codes and accessibility legislation (e.g., ADA, Equality Act, local guidelines).

• Provide clear signage, logical circulation routes, accessible lifts/ramps, and contrasting finishes to aid users with sensory or cognitive challenges.
• Where possible facilities should be situated in locations that are site appropriate, with links to major road networks and connections to public transport, cycling and pedestrian routes, community facilities and services.
• Other things to consider:
• Provide safe drop-off/pick up areas and pedestrian access for centre users.
• Have adequate parking, including parking for buses and bicycles.
• Provide opportunities for shade where outdoor spaces are intended for spectators, families etc.
• Prioritise materials that are resistant to vandalism and are easy to maintain.

• Facility Design Guiding Principles Checklist