Jukskei Club calls for urgent maintenance of Arbor Park pitches

The Newcastle Jukskei Club has raised serious concerns over the deteriorating condition of the jukskei pitches at the Arbor Park sports grounds.

According to the club, a lack of maintenance over the past three years has made the facilities unusable, making it impossible to organise leagues, tournaments, or even practice sessions.

Despite the club requesting the Newcastle Municipality to carry out maintenance, the only feedback received was that there were no available funds.

“The situation has become critical,” said Daleen Roos, a representative of the club. “Currently, there is only one pitch available, with the rest grassed and full of thorns.”

Poor drainage results in the pitches becoming waterlogged after rain.

The state of the sand is also a serious issue as thorns pose a threat to the players. The clubhouse requires emergency repairs, and its overall safety is questionable.

The poor condition of the club is impacting members’ preparations who are representing who are this month representing KwaZulu-Natal at the National Jukskei Championships.

With limited pitches at their disposal, their development has been greatly affected.

“We have committed players who are working hard to compete at a national level, but we don’t have the proper facilities to support them,” Roos added.

The problem extends beyond the club’s current members. Schools from Madadeni and Osizweni have reached out, hoping to introduce their students to the sport. However, the club has had to turn them away due to the lack of available space.

“Jukskei is becoming increasingly popular among young players, and we want to give them the opportunity to participate. Without proper pitches, we can’t do that,” Roos explained.

Prior to this, the Arbor Park jukskei fields hosted bigger events like the Salga Games, Amajuba District Indigenous Games (IG) Trials, and Provincial IG Tournaments.

However, hosting these events is no longer feasible due to the state of the club, robbing the sport and the community of these opportunities.

The club has requested an urgent meeting with municipal officials to discuss solutions.

Their key requests include overall maintenance of the clubhouse, improved safety measures, cleaning of the pitches, provision of clean sand, marking of distances on the cement, and the restoration of at least seven pitches.

With the new jukskei season set to begin in August 2025, the club is hopeful that the necessary repairs and maintenance will be carried out in time.

“We are not asking for much. We simply want these pitches restored so that we can continue to grow the sport, provide opportunities for our youth, and represent Newcastle at a competitive level,” Roos concluded.

The Newcastle Municipality has been approached for a comment on the club’s concerns and what they are doing to solve the issue.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. 

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