Last week's $2 billion announcement to rebuild two Sydney stadiums has re-focussed attention on local infrastructure.

Many in the athletics community were disheartened to hear of the massive expense to replace existing stadiums, compared to the battle for grassroots facilities.

But council’s strategic asset planner (parks and recreation), Ben Creighton, said sports aren’t on their own in pursuing investment and council has identified the priorities in its Recreation, Open Space and Community Strategy document. 

“We’ve identified the need for a synthetic athletics track,” Creighton said.

“We’re going to start working with the athletics clubs on the development of the business case which will then be used as the basis for a funding application.”

The track is among nearly 50 major projects to target in the next 20 years. 

The strategy document is due to go back to council for adoption in the new year, having been on exhibition and received a number of submissions.

Other identified projects include women’s change rooms at venues, a multisport cycling complex at Pomingalarna, development at Harris Park, a second league ground at Equex, a synthetic soccer ground at Rawlings Park and improved lighting at Robertson Oval and Equex.

Creighton said partnerships are the best approach for council, clubs and sports hierarchies to work together.

“That’s the way we deliver a lot of our major projects,” he said. “And we try to take a whole of government approach so we’ll be looking at multiple tiers of government contributing to the project, along with the sports and any other investment we can get from other areas.”

Kooringal-Wagga athletics president, Stephen Cook, said the athletics clubs had successfully pitched their case at local government level and were keen to take advice on the next step to try to secure investment from the NSW regional sports infrastructure fund.

“Council is supporting us, 100 percent,” Cook said. “It’s now about us getting together as clubs and the athletics community and to work with council resources to build a submission.”

Member for Wagga, Daryl Maguire, has indicated support.

“We have been working very hard with Wagga City Council to take Wagga’s athletics to the next level which will transform the current grass track at Jubilee Park into an all-weather facility, should the application be successful,” Maguire said.

He defended the state government’s announcement of a $2 billion investment to demolish and rebuild ANZ and Allianz stadiums in Sydney.

“Stadia investments represent one percent of what the NSW Government will invest in Health and Education over the period of construction,” Maguire said.

However, the office of NSW sports minister, Stuart Ayres, has backed away from a report that suggested an announcement of regional stadium upgrades, including in Wagga, was imminent. 

A spokeswoman said the report was only speculation and said eventual upgrades in regional areas are under consideration but are unfunded at this stage.