As talented teams battle it out on Hobart's netball courts each weekend, a quieter fight is bubbling away under the surface - the struggle to find enough courts to play on.
The availability of netball courts in Hobart is being outstripped by the sport's growing popularity, forcing the Southern Tasmanian Netball Association to regularly host "overdraft rounds" where extra matches can make up for lost games.
For passionate players like Emily Carnes, 16, this can lead to "frustrating" situations where teams are playing on completely different days and balancing inconsistent schedules.
"Quite often you'll miss out and you'll have to play two games quite close to each other while other teams get a bigger break," Emily said.
This issue is one of multiple problems to be addressed by a $1.5 million redevelopment project at the New Town Sporting Precinct.
Members of the Buckingham Bowls Club joined Southern Tasmanian Netball Association players to launch the project. Pictured left to right are Phil Wheatley, Emily Carnes, Liberal Member for Clark Simon Behrakis, Buckingham Bowls Club president Patricia Zapotocky, Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Dr Zelinda Sherlock, Izzy Adams and Jill Kyle.
The project will see an overgrown, disused bowling green - currently filled with weeds and used as a makeshift car park for taekwon-do students - transformed into two high quality netball courts, complete with LED floodlights and new fencing.
Alison Lai, Southern Tasmanian Netball Association president, said the additional courts will help meet the surging demand for new teams, particularly among juniors and women over 30.
"We've had to be really careful in actually providing those opportunities because we just don't have the court space," Ms Lai said.
"This project means we're going to be able to stop thinking about issues like capping teams and we'll be able to offer more people the opportunity to participate."
Young netballers like Emily Carnes are excited about the new courts.
Putting lawn bowlers in the shade
As part of the same project, the neighbouring Buckingham Bowls Club will receive new shade infrastructure and synthetic grass bordering one of its in-use greens.
Club member Phil Wheatley said the improvements would be a game-changer, particularly for older players who struggle in the sun.
"We're an aging sport and we've got two bowlers that are in their nineties and a lot who are above eighty, so this is great because it will mean we're not out in the sun all day," he said.
"We've been having meetings now for probably four years, so it's great that stuff is finally happening."
Phil Wheatley (centre) says the new shade is much-needed for the bowls club.
The installation of synthetic grass will also reduce tiring maintenance for the club members, who currently have to mow around the edges of each green every week.
Construction on the project officially began on Monday, February 3, and is expected to be complete by mid-year, with minimal disruption to the community.
The Tasmanian Government has contributed $1.5 million towards the initiative and the broader development of the precinct.
Small step towards bigger vision
This redevelopment marks an important first step in the delivery of the ambitious New Town Sporting Precinct Master Plan.
The $60 million plan, originally endorsed by Hobart City Council in 2019, aims to secure the future of the precinct as a premier sporting hub for the community.
The project is expected to wrap up by the middle of the year.
It calls for significant upgrades such as improved parking facilities, an indoor netball court capable of hosting Australian Netball League matches, better function spaces, and modern changerooms and public toilets.
Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock said the City of Hobart remains committed to delivering this vision and will continue to advocate for further funding from state and federal governments.
"We're really hopeful that we will be able to advocate and put this as a priority for the federal government and of course we will also be knocking on the doors of the state government," Councillor Sherlock said.