Ditch the Pitch: St James Park must be concrete-free for safe football for all.
The issue
Football and concrete do not mix.
St James Park, Coledale has a covered concrete cricket wicket in the middle of a shared football field. Coledale Waves has asked Council for a fix to the avoidable injuries this wicket causes every season, and the risk of something far worse.
That risk is no longer hypothetical.
Earlier this year, a 27-year-old Melbourne footballer died after striking his head on a covered concrete cricket pitch at Lalor Recreation Reserve. Our sympathies are with his family and club. The City of Whittlesea confirmed the ground's cover met applicable AFL/Cricket Australia standards, the same standard ours are assessed against. WorkSafe Victoria is now investigating.
Enough is enough.
Coledale Waves raised its concerns with Football South Coast, who responded by halting matches at St James Park over safety. It was the right call, but it's meant rescheduling and relocating games for the season, taking football away from a community that has played here for generations.
Everyone is at risk.
St James Park hosts fixtures against all 27 Football South Coast clubs. Hundreds of games are played here each season, meaning hundreds of visits from teams who don't know the surface and have no say in whether it gets fixed.
Unfortunately, Council's response falls short.
On 10 July 2026, Council announced a review of covered wickets at shared grounds, including St James Park. We welcome it, but Council is only testing the padding, not whether the concrete should go. A padded fixed obstacle is still a fixed obstacle. Football South Coast's position is that pitches need relocating, not modifying in place.
We are not anti-cricket; we just want concrete-free football.
Coledale Waves is consulting local cricket clubs, and Wollongong already has viable alternatives nearby: Clowes Park, Cawley Park, Hollymount Park, Gibson Park and Bellambi Point.
What Council must do now.
Make St James Park safe to play football now and for generations to come, and bring football back home to our communities and safe for all the thousands of visitors across Football South Coast.
Prevent the constant stream of injuries these covered concrete cricket wickets cause every year and avoid the tragedy that occurred at Lalor Recreation Reserve. We can not just stand by and wait for this to happen through inaction and old solutions.
Commit to permanently removing covered concrete cricket wickets from the centre of shared playing fields at St James Park, Coledale, not merely adjusting their hardness or padding.
Please sign and share this petition: make St James Park concrete-free, for good.
542
The issue
Football and concrete do not mix.
St James Park, Coledale has a covered concrete cricket wicket in the middle of a shared football field. Coledale Waves has asked Council for a fix to the avoidable injuries this wicket causes every season, and the risk of something far worse.
That risk is no longer hypothetical.
Earlier this year, a 27-year-old Melbourne footballer died after striking his head on a covered concrete cricket pitch at Lalor Recreation Reserve. Our sympathies are with his family and club. The City of Whittlesea confirmed the ground's cover met applicable AFL/Cricket Australia standards, the same standard ours are assessed against. WorkSafe Victoria is now investigating.
Enough is enough.
Coledale Waves raised its concerns with Football South Coast, who responded by halting matches at St James Park over safety. It was the right call, but it's meant rescheduling and relocating games for the season, taking football away from a community that has played here for generations.
Everyone is at risk.
St James Park hosts fixtures against all 27 Football South Coast clubs. Hundreds of games are played here each season, meaning hundreds of visits from teams who don't know the surface and have no say in whether it gets fixed.
Unfortunately, Council's response falls short.
On 10 July 2026, Council announced a review of covered wickets at shared grounds, including St James Park. We welcome it, but Council is only testing the padding, not whether the concrete should go. A padded fixed obstacle is still a fixed obstacle. Football South Coast's position is that pitches need relocating, not modifying in place.
We are not anti-cricket; we just want concrete-free football.
Coledale Waves is consulting local cricket clubs, and Wollongong already has viable alternatives nearby: Clowes Park, Cawley Park, Hollymount Park, Gibson Park and Bellambi Point.
What Council must do now.
Make St James Park safe to play football now and for generations to come, and bring football back home to our communities and safe for all the thousands of visitors across Football South Coast.
Prevent the constant stream of injuries these covered concrete cricket wickets cause every year and avoid the tragedy that occurred at Lalor Recreation Reserve. We can not just stand by and wait for this to happen through inaction and old solutions.
Commit to permanently removing covered concrete cricket wickets from the centre of shared playing fields at St James Park, Coledale, not merely adjusting their hardness or padding.
Please sign and share this petition: make St James Park concrete-free, for good.
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Petition created on 30 July 2026