Sutherland Shire Council have recently completed a $600,000 floodlighting upgrade at Solander Playing Fields in the Sutherland Shire Football Association (SSFA).
The project involved a full facility LED lighting upgrade for the three full sized football fields and several mini fields.
Ten new 18 metre floodlighting poles and 26 new LED light were installed as part of the project.
The long lifespan of LEDs coupled with the floodlights strong mechanical design means few maintenance interventions are required over the life of lights. LED lighting directs the light directly onto the field eliminating the light spill that old lighting systems have previously had.
The three fields are now lit to an Australian Standard of 100 lux which allows the club to host not only training but competition games.
Solander Playing Fields have been the home ground for Cronulla RSL Stingrays Football Club since the mid 1990’s when they were moved from Captain Cook Oval just across the road.
Football NSW Manager – Government Relations, Funding and Infrastructure, Daniel Ristic saw this as a massive win for the sport in the Shire area.
“This is a fantastic result for the Stingrays and for SSFA. Lighting is a proven method of increasing participation capacity. Sports lighting allows players of all ages and abilities to train safely at night and can provide the opportunity to play competition in the evenings.
“Improving existing venue capacity’ is one of the key pillars of the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy. Lighting upgrades maximise the safety, carrying capacity and activation of existing football fields across the state.”
Sutherland Shire FA General Manager Jeff Stewart equally was delighted with the recent upgrade to one of his association club’s facilities.
“Floodlighting is the number one priority identified by the SSFA in our local infrastructure strategy. From the 43 venues across the Sutherland Shire, 99% have lighting although 68% of those fields do not meet the minimum Australian Standards of 50 lux for training.”
“This project moves us one step closer to resolving the floodlight deficiency that Sutherland Shire is currently experiencing.”
Sutherland Shire FA is the second largest football association in NSW with over 19,000 registered players in 2021, with females representing over 35% of those players. Further infrastructure upgrades will allow the association to grow particularly with a FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2 years’ time on home soil.
