Community campaign kicks goals in Canterbury

Australians take enormous pride in the exploits of their sporting heroes – but the needs of grass roots community sporting organisations are often overlooked.  For Hurlstone Park Wanderers Football Club (HPW), in Sydney’s Inner West, its urgent need for improved facilities was a low priority for the local council.  Wet weather, overuse and poor drainage combined to see 40 per cent of HPW home matches cancelled during the 2011 season.

Despite being located at their home ground, Ewen Park, since the 1920s, HPW also found itself battling against a vocal and well-organised residents group which opposed the use of the park for community sport.

The debate over the use of Ewen Park is being replicated in other neighbourhoods right across the country.  Too often, the voice of community sport is fragmented, disorganised, and drowned out by other interests.

HPW approached Essential Media Communications (EMC) to find a way to break the impasse with the local council, while also improving its member communications.  EMC suggested a campaign approach – using the situation with Ewen Park as a catalyst for engaging with members, supporters and the local community.

The Space to Play campaign was launched at Ewen Park in June 2011, attracting the support of three former Socceroos and the NSW Football Association.  A campaign web site was set up to provide regular updates to members and supporters.  An active media strategy attracted coverage for the campaign in local newspapers, metropolitan newspapers, on radio and in the football industry press.  Social media was used to create a new forum for member communication, while clever use of twitter ensured the campaign attracted attention of football industry opinion leaders.

A community petition was launched and promoted through flyers and a ‘Day of Action’ at Ewen Park, where junior players were provided with Space to Play branded drink bottles.  By the end of the 6-week campaign, over 1,600 people had signed the Space to Play petition, which was then presented to the Deputy Mayor of Canterbury at the club’s end-of-season medal presentation for U/6, U/7 and U/8 teams.

The Canterbury Council reacted quickly to the campaign by announcing the construction of a new playing field at Ewen Park, with a new amenities block, and promising to investigate options for improved drainage.  Construction of the new playing field should be completed in time for the start of the 2012 season.

Space to Play has drawn attention to an important social issue – the need for investment in grass roots sporting infrastructure.  Without decent spaces to play, more local communities will suffer from the negative health and social consequences of our increasing sedentary lifestyles.   But by embracing campaigning techniques, and mobilising their members and supporters, the Hurlstone Park Wanderers have shown that grass roots sporting clubs can be powerful voice for change in their local communities.

- Stewart Prins