the grounds assessment practices of Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Victoria, Australia to ensure the safety of ... cricket pitches; uneven surfaces; debris and rubbish; ..... sporrs clubs during training and competition in northern Sydney,.
Safe physical activity environments - To what extent are local government authorities auditing the safety of grassed sporting grounds? Leonie Otago, Peter Swan, Alex Donaldson, Warren Payne & Caroline Finch School of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, University of Ballarat
hysical activity (PA) participation is influenced by the safety of the settings in which it is undertaken. This study describes the grounds assessment practices of Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Victoria, Australia to ensure the safety of grassed sporting grounds. It also makes recommendations for improving these practices to maximise the safety for all users (sport and other forms ofPA) ofLGA grounds. Forty~seven (60% of all Victorian) LGAs participated in the study. Of these, 23 (49%) had no sports ground safety policy or guidelines. Where LGAs ranked grounds, those used for higher standards of play received better maintenance regimes and more regular safety assessments than those considered to be of poorer quality or for general community use. Minimal standards for grounds assessment, including safety checl
