Published on 15 September 2023
Work starts at Knox Park
Work has begun on a much-anticipated $2.2 million multi-use sports park at Morphett Vale’s Knox Park.
The multi-use sports facility at the 5.1-hectare Kantalpa Grove reserve will become a home ground for Southern Athletic Club and also accommodate soccer, junior Australian rules football and other turf sports.
The state government—with the support of Katrine Hildyard, Member for Reynell—has provided $1.1 million towards the project, matching the City of Onkaparinga’s contribution.
Onkaparinga Mayor Moira Were, Katrine Hildyard, Southern Athletic President, Jason Stevens, and Athletics SA President Jane Russo were among those to visit the site this week to celebrate the start of works, which are expected to be completed by mid-2024.
The project will include:
- irrigated oval with 400m athletics track
- athletics throw and jump facilities
- shelter with barbeque and seating
- priority site connecting footpath
- priority landscaping and tree planting
- fencing around the oval
- storage shed
- public toilet with disability access
- services connections including stormwater, water and electricity.
The park’s playground is also being upgraded to coincide with the redevelopment for an additional cost of $350,000.
Work is predominantly being undertaken between 7am and 5pm weekdays. For safety reasons, the construction site will be fenced throughout the entire construction period, with the contractor BluBuilt to keep as much of the reserve open to the public as possible when safe to do so.
Mayor Moira Were said there was a lot of excitement in the community about the project.
“I’m thrilled for the local athletics community and the Southern Athletic Club, which currently doesn’t have a home ground,” she said.
“Creating this permanent home will not only strengthen athletics in the south, it’ll also offer an option to .relieve some of the pressure being felt at nearby grounds by other turf sporting clubs.
“The new sports park will also be a fantastic place to take the kids to the playground, have a barbecue, go for a jog or walk the dogs, so I’m looking forward to seeing the place buzzing when it opens next year.”
In 2018, council invited the community to have its say on the proposed classification change of the park from ‘Reserve’ to ‘Sportsgrounds’. Overwhelming support was received during the consultation, with the park then being reclassified.
Further community engagement was undertaken on a concept plan in 2022, with feedback being incorporated into a revised concept plan, which Council then approved.
The $2.2 million project is the first stage of the Knox Park multi-use sports park development, with potential longer-term priorities—subject to increased demand and availability of funding—including a car park extension, an artificial turf section, potential new entry from Main South Road, and additional, supporting building facility (changerooms/pavilion/club rooms, etc.).