Sunshine Coast Regional Football Plan 2020
Sunshine Coast Council
Purpose
Football (soccer) is by far the Sunshine Coast’s most highly participated in club sport, so with a rapidly growing population, it is vital that Council is confident that the 32 home ground facilities and 87 full-size fields can meet the demand of the two football associations and 32 community level football clubs serving 7,601 members (2020). The Sunshine Coast Regional Football Plan was initiated to thoroughly analyse the region's football facilities, assess their suitability for expected population growth, and address the requirements of local football clubs.
Approach
In order to provide the Council with a detailed understanding of football facilities and participation in the region, CPR Group brought together various data sources for comprehensive analysis and converted complex data into simple visualisations using Microsoft Power BI. Data modelling presented filterable and analysable maps and charts to see both the club and regional wide circumstances. Consultation directly with clubs ensured the data was matched with the on-ground situation and sensitive stakeholder consultations were conducted to address substantial facility occupancy changes and garner support for the proposed recommendations.
Outcomes
As a direct outcome of the plan, the Council has gained a comprehensive understanding of the region's football facilities, including existing utilisation and future projections. This understanding has extended to the suitability of each facility, with a prioritised project list that guides potential investments.
The region boasts a lower members-per-field ratio compared with other areas of metropolitan Queensland, underscoring the presence of a denser network of smaller clubs and facilities. Based on data analysis, once embellished fully with lights, irrigation and drainage improvements, the existing football facility network is expected to adequately meet the region's demands up to the year 2041 at the projected rate of population and participation growth.. This outlook takes into account the planned introduction of new facilities in areas experiencing higher population growth.
Council is now equipped with the confidence and commitment of user clubs and associations to establish a regional football facility, and a dynamic Power BI data model provides Council with an adaptable database to be used for future Council initiatives. The passion for facility planning which CPR Group has demonstrated during this project has ensured Council received outcomes well beyond expectations.
