In an effort to ensure that community members, aspiring sports stars, and athletes have a safe, secure, and functioning facility to practice and train, sporting codes based at Edenvale Sports Grounds often reach into their own pockets to ensure that the facility is maintained and cared for.

Providing a space which can be used by the community, the clubs work together under the banner of the JP Bezuidenhout Park Sports Ground Committee.

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They pool resources and ideas to ensure that the grass of the sports grounds is maintained and cut, damaged infrastructure is repaired and replaced and that the facility is a safe space for all.

Essentially Edenvale director Lisa Atkins, who works in coordination with the committee, explained that the Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (SRAC) Department was handed a budget of several million rand to maintain sports facilities throughout the city.

“You would need several million rand just to maintain one sports facility per year,” said Atkins.

Chairperson of the JP Bezuidenhout Park Sports Ground Committee, Louis Antonopoulos, said at Edenvale Sports Grounds, because of the investment of all the various sporting codes and clubs, the grounds are manageable.

“If you go to some of the other sporting grounds, you would need to spend several million rand just to get them operational, the bathrooms don’t work, there’s no water, no electricity,” said Antonopoulos.

Speaking about community inclusion, Antonopoulos explained that all community members are welcome to use the sports grounds; however, he emphasised that there needs to be understanding and respect between the existing sporting codes and clubs and those who want to use the grounds.

“We can have a look at our structure in terms of our schedules, and for example, on Saturday, open the fields to the community from 13:00 to 16:00, but community members need to book to ensure there is a record for safety purposes,” said Antonopoulos.

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According to Ernie Enslin, chairperson of the Edenvale Panthers, between December and the end of January, the Rugby club has spent close to R25000 maintaining its field.

“Its all money that comes out of the club’s account,” explained Enslin.

“Money that could go towards buying a new kit or developing and growing the club.”

Atkins said, despite having to spread its budget across all sporting facilities across the city, the local SRAC depot reportedly does not have adequate equipment to help maintain the sports grounds.

She said the depot is lacking a working tractor and does not have brush cutters, which are needed to trim overgrown vegetation.

A request for comment was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni on February 13 Requesting comment by February 16 at 10:00.

At the time of going to print, no comment was received.