Devonport Oval Sports Complex

This project has been identified through Council's Sports Infrastructure Master Plan, developed from 2019 with input from local clubs, sporting bodies, government, and the community, and adopted in 2022 following public consultation. The Plan assessed participation, demand, and facility capacity to prioritise future investment.

It is guided by three key principles:

• Maximising use of existing facilities
• Creating accessible, multi-use spaces
• Delivering sustainable, strategic investments

Projects were ranked by priority, with Council focusing on those identified as high priority, including the Devonport Oval upgrade.

To support delivery, Council developed a Priority Investment Plan (PIP), which outlines the proposed approach to several of the high-priority projects across key precincts. The PIP was publicly released in March 2024 and is being used to advocate for funding from other levels of government.

You can access the plans here:

• Sports Infrastructure Master Plan
• Priority Investment Plan

Following the Master Plan, Council worked with high-priority sports to explore options for a shared basketball and netball facility. Four potential sites were assessed against key criteria including site suitability, location, connectivity, impacts and strategic alignment.

Both the Devonport Oval precinct and East Devonport Recreation Centre rated strongly; however, basketball and netball stakeholders expressed a clear preference for the Devonport Oval site.

Devonport Oval was selected as it offers the best opportunity to co-locate multiple sports, improve facility use, and create a high-quality, centrally located sporting precinct for the community.

Council and user groups are working together to maintain existing sports and events at Devonport Oval while safely progressing construction, ensuring continuity of use alongside the development of new, state-of-the-art facilities.

Devonport City Council staff, in partnership with local sports clubs, will operate and manage the new facility, consistent with the current model used at the Forbes Street Recreation Centre.

Devonport Oval currently supports football (AFL), cricket, athletics, and cycling. The new complex will expand this to include basketball, netball, and other court-based sports through new indoor and outdoor facilities.

The addition of indoor courts will provide reliable, all-weather conditions, particularly benefiting netball by reducing disruptions caused by wet weather.

Co-locating clubs allows them to share high-quality facilities, amenities, and support services that would be difficult to achieve individually. It also reflects the fact that many people participate in multiple sports, helping bring different groups together and strengthening community connection and inclusivity.

Council has not yet made final decisions on sites that may become redundant. However, relocating some sports may free up existing facilities for other users or create opportunities for new community uses.

A detailed Traffic Impact Assessment has confirmed the precinct can accommodate current and future demand and is publicly available as part of the development application.

The project includes 365 off-street parking spaces, with new and expanded areas at both the northern and southern ends, along with accessible parking, bicycle facilities and a dedicated pick-up and drop-off zone. Multiple access points allow efficient entry from different routes, with the surrounding road network assessed as having sufficient capacity.

No additional traffic management is required for day-to-day use. As with current large events, temporary traffic measures will be implemented when needed.

The indoor courts will feature a timber sprung floor, designed to provide excellent performance, durability and shock absorption for basketball and netball. This type of flooring reduces impact on players' joints while ensuring consistent ball bounce and grip.

The floor will use high-quality hardwood (such as maple or similar) and is designed to meet international performance standards, with the goal of achieving FIBA Level 1 accreditation for elite-level play.

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