Following the endorsement of an independent assessment for the redevelopment of the Waikerie Sports Centre in the 2024/25 Annual Business Plan, Council engaged SGL Consulting Group to undertake a needs analysis and feasibility study of potential upgrades to the Waikerie Recreation Centre.

The study was based on pre-developed cost estimates and architectural drawings for three options, with an additional option considered: a stand-alone court adjacent to the recreation centre, serving as a second court.

The purpose of the study is to support a data-driven assessment of the available options. SGL has also acknowledged that local factors must be considered in the evaluation process.

The Waikerie Recreation Centre currently caters for basketball, netball, and other indoor sports, and includes an adjoining gymnasium. It is part of the larger Waikerie Community Sports Centre, which also features:

• Playing fields for hockey, cricket, soccer, athletics, softball, and touch football
• Facilities for special functions and community events
• Six hard tennis courts
• Two netball/basketball courts
• Croquet courts, a bowling club, and a swimming pool

With the needs analysis and feasibility study now complete, Council is seeking community feedback on the study and its recommendations.

Key findings and recommendations have been summarised in the subsequent tabs on this page. The full report—including all options considered and the data used in the assessment—is available in the Document Library.

How to Have Your Say:

To participate in the consultation, please submit your feedback via the feedback form on this page before 5pm Wednesday 18 June 2025. You can also:

• Email us at council@lwdc.sa.gov.au
• Drop off written feedback at the Loxton Council Office, or at the Loxton and Waikerie Libraries

For any queries, please contact Council on 08 8584 8000 or via council@lwdc.sa.gov.au.

Current Use and Demand Patterns

• The indoor court is heavily used during the summer basketball season (November, December, February, March), with an average of 26 hours per week, or 63% of available time.
• In other months (April to October), usage drops to 10–13 hours per week (24–30% capacity), showing a significant underutilisation of 32% during shoulder and peak periods.
• Despite this, the centre performs well overall, meeting the general needs of the community, especially during high-demand months.
• Notably, there is spare capacity year-round on weekends and most months outside the basketball season have available peak time slots.
• Basketball usage is about 25% higher than expected for the Waikerie population, while netball use is twice as high as expected for Waikerie, although lower compared to the broader District of Loxton Waikerie.

Financial Considerations

• The current single-court indoor facility requires a substantial annual subsidy from council of approximately $1.26 million, which equates to around $141.41 per user visit (based on 8,900 users in 2022–23).
• Expanding to a two-court indoor facility would continue to require this level of subsidy, while an outdoor covered court alternative would reduce the subsidy to approximately $472,535 per year, or $65 per visit.
• Construction cost pressures—driven by post-COVID inflation and rising material prices (e.g. steel up 62%, concrete up 41%)—mean that the estimated $16.75 million build cost in 2024 is significantly higher than previous regional projects.
• Other regional examples include:
  • Victor Harbor: $42M facility with no council subsidy due to retail and childcare income but involved high capital costs.
  • Loxton Precinct: $13.2M (2020) as a benchmark for smaller-scale, community-focused infrastructure.

Stakeholder Feedback and Facility Standards

• Feedback from local basketball and netball associations confirms strong usage, particularly during peak hours (4:00–8:30 PM). This sometimes forces half-court training due to court space limitations.
• However, both sports have raised concerns that the current court is not compliant with competition standards—specifically, there is insufficient run-off space, especially for netball, creating safety and compliance issues.
• Any upgrade to the centre would need to not only add a second court, but also rebuild the existing one to meet national sport specifications, increasing costs and project complexity.
• Stakeholders also oppose cost-cutting measures that would compromise facility quality, such as omitting sprung timber floors or adequate spectator amenities—these are considered essential for long-term community use and event hosting.

Future Planning and Sustainability

• Larger multi-court facilities are more expensive to run. For example, Mount Gambier’s six-court centre ($57.3M build) requires a $928,000 annual subsidy despite high usage.
• The Waikerie community is projected to have an aging population, with over 31% of residents expected to be aged 65+ by 2030. This limits the potential for long-term increases in sport participation and revenue growth.
• Operational sustainability becomes a key concern, with a likely need for continued and possibly increasing council financial support over time.
• There is an opportunity to co-locate the recreation centre with the town’s swimming pool, which could reduce shared costs such as staffing and maintenance by up to 15%. However, this may not fully meet the needs for year-round, multi-sport use if limited to a covered outdoor court model.

Based on current usage data and population trends, Waikerie does not appear to have a shortage of indoor sports courts. In fact, the indoor court is underused during much of the year, especially on weekends and during non-peak months.

That said, there are still opportunities to improve the existing facility so it better serves the community, supports more activities, and becomes more financially sustainable.

Suggested Improvements:

• Link the Recreation Centre and Swimming Pool
  Connecting the two facilities could help reduce operating costs and make better use of staff, by sharing resources between the pool and the recreation centre.
• Upgrade Group Fitness Areas
  Improving or expanding the gym and fitness spaces could allow for more classes and community use, especially during quieter times when the court isn't being used.
• Encourage More Social Sports
  The centre could host social and casual sporting competitions, like mid-week basketball during winter, to increase participation and make use of quieter times.
• Introduce New Sports
  Adding options like futsal (indoor soccer) or other indoor sports could attract new users and make the facility more versatile for the broader community.

Lower-Cost Covered Court Option

A more cost-effective option to increase available court space could involve the construction of a weatherproof roof over several of the existing outdoor courts located next to the indoor recreation facility and swimming pool.

This approach could include the development of a new shared facility entrance, creating a single point of access to the indoor courts, swimming pool, and newly covered outdoor courts. This would improve connectivity between the facilities and provide a more user-friendly experience for patrons.

This lower-cost option is expected to reduce the council’s annual operating subsidy to approximately $472,575, which equates to a subsidy of $65 per patron visit—a substantial reduction compared to the indoor two-court option. While this scenario would not provide the same level of flexibility as a full indoor expansion, it would still deliver improved access to all-weather court space and support broader community participation in sport and recreation activities.