Community update on Ted Tobin Hall
As part of Wollongong City Council’s focus on meeting community needs and expectations, we’re regularly assessing how to get the best use out of our facilities.
We strive to get the most out of the range of sporting facilities we have right across our city, including at Beaton Park, to ensure that we get maximum access for the widest range of sporting groups in our city.
We’re also looking to have measures in place to support fast-growing sports which means young people can have access to facilities or forge professional sporting careers, if that appeals to them.
It’s why we’re having ongoing conversations – but have not made any decisions – about enhancing access to Beaton Park, including the Ted Tobin Hall, by the local basketball community that includes the Illawarra Basketball Association, the Wollongong Roller Hawks and the Illawarra Hawks.
How we support one of the highest growing participation sports for children, young people and adults in Australia is a key concern for Council. We want to see opportunities for social play, as well as pathway through to elite level programs. This is why we’re looking closely at how the Ted Tobin Hall at Beaton Park is currently used, and what opportunities there might be in the future.
We’re one of only two regional cities in Australia to have a professional basketball team. And it’s not just a professional team but one of two remaining National Basketball League founding clubs.
We are not just focussed on basketball. We are also talking with the established groups and organisations who have a long-standing history with this site about their current and future needs.
We also need to consider how the current facilities and the Beaton Park Masterplan can support the new regional tennis complex, once the current works have been completed. This complex is going to be the second highest level facility in NSW behind Homebush, which is an exciting achievement for the local tennis community. We know there are some questions in our community about what’s happening. That’s why we’ve put together the following FAQ.
Have there been any changes for current users of Ted Tobin Hall? Have the sporting groups who use the space been consulted?
We have not made any changes to access for long-term users and permanent hirers as we consider how to make the best use of this facility into the future. We have been in contact with the permanent hirers, as part of our fact-finding conversations about their use of Ted Tobin Hall, challenges and opportunities they see.
It is possible that, through these conversations, one of the current hirers may find there is an alternative venue within the city that better fits their needs. If this was to be the case, Council is happy to facilitate these discussions. However, Council has made the commitment that current hirers will keep their current booking at Ted Tobin.
Conversations around Ted Tobin Hall are ongoing and include discussing ways the facility may be able to be programmed to maximise its use in the future.
Have any decisions been made about the future use of Ted Tobin Hall?
No, no decisions have been made. The current conversations and considerations are looking to improve accessibility to sporting spaces and facilitating opportunities for a range of sporting codes.
Is Council committed to delivering the Beaton Park Master Plan?
The Beaton Park Master Plan was endorsed by Council in 2018. The Plan’s aim is to 'develop Beaton Park as a Regional Centre of excellence with high performance and event facilities that are complemented with improved local open space and parkland areas'. This aim remains unchanged.
Right now, we are working towards goals within the Plan for the precinct. The Beaton Park Regional Tennis Centre is currently under construction, and further funding has been set aside in Council's adopted Infrastructure Delivery Program for the Beaton Park Multipurpose Facility for Design and to continue the progression of the Beaton Park Master Plan. The multipurpose facility is part of the overall plan and bringing together other elements indicates connectedness to the overall vision.
How does Ted Tobin Hall fit into the Beaton Park Master Plan?
The Beaton Park Master Plan considers the whole precinct – not just the Hall and the Beaton Park Leisure Centre building but also the Kerryn McCann athletics track, the tennis facilities and the ‘Snakepit’.
The current and future operations of Ted Tobin Hall and other aquatic and sporting facilities will continue to be aligned with the endorsed Master Plan.
Where does Council’s Sporting Facilities Advisory Group fit into this process?
The focus of the Sports and Facilities Reference Group is to assist Council in working towards the identification of priorities for sport and sporting infrastructure.
They’re a higher level advisory group whose focus isn’t on the operational running of individual facilities, but rather providing advice to Council on strategic projects and Council policies related to, or that may impact on the implementation of the Sportsground and Sporting Facilities Strategy.
The group last met in April 2024, and are due to meet again later this year once Councillors, who were elected in September 2024, have been delegated to Council Committees.
See for more information: Sporting and Facilities Reference Group Sports and Facilities Reference Group | City of Wollongong
Has a decision been made about the Illawarra Hawks and their access to Ted Tobin Hall?
No, no decision has been made. Council is supportive of pathways from community to elite sport and this would be reflected in any arrangement with the Illawarra Hawks and the Illawarra Basketball Association.
Read our earlier statement: Update on Beaton Park
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