The Sydney Academy of Sport athletics track in Narrabeen ( commonly known as the Narrabeen Athletics Track) has been closed for over a year. Now, fed-up athletes and representatives are calling on the government to get on with plans to fix it.
Since the facility’s closure in December 2023 due to water damage, Northern Beaches and North Shore athletes have had to find alternative places to train, some needing to go as far as the Central Coast. Others were able to use a temporary grass track at the Sydney Academy of Sport, which has been deemed unusable by state authorities multiple times in the past year due to bad weather and overuse.
“It’s been shut for over a year now, and it was closed due to bubbling of the track. It became unsafe because of flooding and issues with irrigation,” Federal Member for Mackellar Dr Sophie Scamps told Manly Observer on the closed running track a few days back.
“So it means that Little Athletics, all the people that train here, all the schools that have their carnivals here, have been unable to use the track at all.”
Dr Scamps as well as local State MPs Michael Regan and Jacqui Scruby are wanting to hurry the process along, with many northern region athletes having to find alternative places to train in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles and 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
There is also apparently an impending deadline for the works to be completed as the success of the project is heavily dependent on having hot weather during construction.
“We’re heading to the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032. We’ve got lots of athletes, both junior and senior, who are training for an event. We want to make sure we’re able to service them locally, rather than having them travel two hours at a time to try and get to training,” Ms Scruby stated.
“This is the only track that’s available… It’s a big deal, and it’s been out of action for too long. They’ve done their investigations. They have the money to resurface it. Get on with it.”
Wakehurst MP Michel Regan added: “It’s more than just the Northern Beaches. It’s Northern Sydney, it’s the northern region. And this is the only track that’s available… It’s a big deal, and it’s been out of action for too long. They’ve done their investigations. They have the money to resurface it. Get on with it.”
The insurance for track repairs was to only be paid-out once the Office of Sport undertook geotechnical investigation works to see how the site responded to selective weather events, which took several months.
Water damage likely caused poor adhesion to the synthetic track surface. ‘Bubbling’ occurred when the new track trapped moisture against the 30-year-old subsurface, causing it to crumble and become unsafe.
An undisclosed amount has now been paid by the insurance company, but only for repairs. In order to prevent the same thing happening in flood conditions it needs to be future proofed at an estimated cost of $10 million. The government is reportedly open to the cover the funding gap but unable to sign off on a plan as one has yet to be put forward by the Office of Sport.
The Office of Sport said they are essentially just getting their ducks in a row. They have consulted key stakeholders and the athletics community about reopening options for the track and a decision was now to be made based off that consultation.
“The Office of Sport investigated the cause of the damage and options to repair and reopen the track, including the costs, risks, benefits and feasibility of each option,” an Office of Sport spokesperson told Manly Observer in a statement.
“The Office of Sport’s priority is providing the athletics community with a safe and accessible track that aims to minimise the impacts of floodwater and inundation.”
With those consultations occurring in late last year, stakeholders are growing impatient for next steps.
Real life consequence of delays
Local 14-year-old Taten Rogers has been hurdling at Narrabeen track since he was seven years old and was a dual national champion last year. He has his eyes set on the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
He admits he’s struggling to balance his schooling and passion for sport with his new travel itinerary for training.
“This [Narrabeen track] was really convenient. We live just right down the road. Going all the way to the eastern suburbs has been really tough as it’s a long way from home, and getting schoolwork done at night’s been a real effort,” He said.
“What’s incredibly difficult for athletes that hurdle, they do not have the option to run on grass, it’s too dangerous and too big of a risk with holes. If you hit the ground wrong, that could be a season-ending injury,” his mother Thalita added.
“There’s so many kids that are disadvantaged by this. It’s really gone backwards in our attendance numbers.”
“If you hit the ground wrong, that could be a season-ending injury.”
Local schools and hundreds of athletes of all ages previously used the Sydney Academy of Sport track throughout the year. But, the lack of facilities is proving to impact the membership numbers of local sporting organisations.
President of Manly Warringah Little Athletics Andrew Jauncey says their club peaked at around 950 members a few years ago but has since dropped a few hundred in two seasons.
“This is having an impact on probably in the order of 10,000 athletes, whether that be kids at school, senior athletes, Paralympic athletes, who often train here on a Saturday afternoon once we finish our Saturday morning competitions,” Mr Jauncey said.
“It’s having a profound impact where we see athletes have to travel now… you need a facility like this to be able to come and practice.”
CEO of Athletics Chris Renford further outlined the hassle for local athletes needing to travel as far as the Central Coast, Sydney Olympic Park or even Newcastle, saying the state needs to do better when it comes to it’s fragile infrastructure and providing facilities for all children.
“What it also highlights is that we’ve got a quite a fragile infrastructure within our athletics tracks throughout the state and throughout Sydney,” Mr Renford added.
“We need more dedicated athletics facilities for our kids, both in the sport but also through our schools program. We know that athletics is a core part of our NSW curriculum, and we need to be able to provide those opportunities.”
