The first source of determination for Ground Closures is the Maitland City Council http://www.maitland.nsw.gov.au/Recreation/GroundClosures.  They are not, however, the only stakeholders that make a decision on whether the grounds are open for training or matches.  TSFC, as "caretakers" of Shark Park need to be mindful of making decisions for our teams to train or play on a ground for the safety of the players and the care of the ground itself.

If there is any doubt whatsover in a team or players mind about the ground being available for normal use check our website as we will reflect the correct situation as appropriate for the MCC and TSFC.

The following is a clarification that MCC have forwarded to all clubs for use of the sporting fields with all of the wet weather and actions by some clubs to ignore the Council closures:

As you may be aware a new Ground Closure Procedure was put to Council last night and will be effective from Friday 13 July 2012 at 2:00pm. The new procedure has been attached along with the Wet Weather Ground Assessment for your use this weekend. In summary the new procedure states that:

• Council will control wet weather ground closures between 8:30am Monday to 2:00pm Friday
• Play/training on open sporting fields over the weekend will be allowed at the discretion of the club/association
• A Wet Weather Ground Assessment, developed by Council, is to be completed by clubs and associations that may have reservations about the condition of the field of play. If completed this form will need to be provided to recreation@maitland.nsw.gov.au on the following Monday
• Grounds will be inspected by Council for signs of damage every Monday
• A $500 penalty fee plus the cost of any additional rectification works over the penalty fee will apply if damage is identified
• Clubs who have damaged the ground or failed to provide appropriate risk assessment to Council will forfeit their right to assess and utilise the ground at their own discretion
• A $100 penalty fee will apply to clubs or associations utilising a ground that has been closed during the week by Council.

The procedure will be implemented as a trial across both the Winter and Summer seasons before it is reviewed for it’s effectiveness etc.