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Salisbury to be the home of athletics in SA this year
WORDS Taylor Harvey
Many of the state’s most talented athletes will have the opportunity to experience the outstanding facilities of the Bridgestone Athletics Centre, as it becomes the temporary home of athletics over the next couple of months.
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Due to the SA Athletics Stadium at Mile End undergoing Stage 2 of its $6 million redevelopment, the Bridgestone Athletics Centre will be the home for thousands of talented athletes.
Since the official opening of the Salisburybased Bridgestone Athletics Centre in March 2021, the facility has quickly built a strong reputation for being an elite development space for athletes.
The centre’s reputation is only set to grow over the coming months with around 8,000 school students expected to use the facility for school carnivals before the end of June this year.
While the first half of the year has seen a high-level of usage, September and October is expected to see the centre completely booked out for events and activities.
During September and October, it is estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 students will be using the facilities of the Bridgestone Athletics Centre.
The ability to train and perform on high-level running tracks is a privilege for many runners - the centre is one of two synthetic tracks in South Australia.
The Bridgestone Athletics Centre has been the home for some of the state’s best athletes, as they strive for their sporting goals. Aidan Murphy, who won 200-metre gold at this year’s national championships, has used the Bridgestone Athletics Centre for training, and will now represent Australia at the World U20 Athletics Championships in August 2022.
The centre also hosted the two-kilometre time trial for the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft Combine on June 2.
Despite the Bridgestone Athletics Centre getting plenty of use from high-level athletes, local clubs that call the centre home have also benefitted greatly from the state-of-the-art facility.
Salisbury Little Athletics Club, Ingle Farm Little Athletics Club and Northern Districts Athletics Club are all permanent residents, and each club has experienced significant membership growth since the opening of the Bridgestone Athletics Centre.
When comparing membership growth from the 2020/21 season to the 2021/22 season, the three clubs have experienced an average growth of 35 per cent, an outstanding result with benefits to the health and wellbeing of the community.
Northern Districts Athletics Club has experienced a 44.2 per cent increase, while Ingle Farm Little Athletics Club and Salisbury Little Athletics Club have seen a 30.8 per cent and 30.1 per cent boost.
SA Athletics Stadium is expected to host the 2022 Australian All Schools Games in December, but if major works are yet to be completed, the Bridgestone Athletics Centre is set to host the national event.
The City of Salisbury will continue to invest in improving the Bridgestone Athletics Centre. World standard equipment and a new smart access gate system will be delivered this year.
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