Construction begins on $2.5 million sports field upgrades at Tarro and Lambton

Newy 87.8 FM – City of Newcastle has begun more than $2.5 million worth of upgrades at Tarro Reserve and Johnson Park at Lambton, two sports fields experiencing a significant increase in female participation across different codes.

Funded by City of Newcastle and the NSW Government's Level the Playing Field Program, each site will receive a new amenities building with female friendly change rooms, an accessible toilet, a canteen, a referees' room and storage.

Chair of City of Newcastle's Sports Infrastructure Working Party, Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz, said the facilities host sports including football, cricket and touch football, and that female participation in cricket at the two grounds has expanded by more than 130 per cent since 2024.

The number of female footballers using Tarro Reserve has grown from 11 in 2024 to 144 this season, with those numbers expected to increase over the next few years.

NSW Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said sporting infrastructure needs to keep pace with the growth of women's sport, adding the Level the Playing Field Fund is aimed at removing barriers for women and girls.

At Johnson Park, the new amenities will complement completed improvements including new LED floodlighting and drainage works, along with a new playground built in the southwest corner in December.

The old playground at the intersection of Bindera and Wyong Roads will be demolished for the new building, and the existing toilets in the park's southeast corner will be removed once it is complete.

Construction at both fields is expected to be finished by early 2027. This July, City of Newcastle will also install a new toilet block near the existing playground at Waratah Park, part of the Waratah Park Masterplan endorsed in 2025 following community consultation.

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