A visit to all the sports fields in Atlantis has left local sports administrators shocked and disappointed at what they describe as years of neglect, poor maintenance and weak communication from the City of Cape Town.
Former rugby player, sports developer and long-time youth coach, Shannon Mahoney, says the situation has reached a critical point across rugby, cricket and soccer. “Our facilities, once a source of pride, are now in a worrying state of neglect. Multiple sporting codes warn their seasons are being disrupted and young athletes are being held back. It becomes a major problem, especially in winter when the municipality simply closes fields,” he says.
Mahoney explained that clubs want to help maintain and upgrade facilities, but unclear municipal processes and a lack of response make collaboration almost impossible. “Teams and spectators are frustrated, and we constantly run into obstacles when trying to get issues resolved. We don’t know who the right contact people are,”
The Atlantis Cricket Club also raised the alarm, saying deteriorating facilities are putting fixtures, training and player safety at risk. Vice-chairperson Duncan Jantjies says the City remains responsible for maintaining the grounds, yet clubs continue to pay fees for home games played on unsafe surfaces.“We held several meetings with the City and even conducted a site visit before the season, but follow-up requests have gone unanswered. The clubhouse door has broken off its rail, the nets are unsafe and regularly vandalised, and the field needs new grass and time to recover. None of this is being addressed,” Jantjies says.
Poor conditions have already impacted the club’s cricket activities. Training on the outfield is unsafe, warm-up matches had to be abandoned, and the B-field was declared unplayable by the Western Province Cricket Association, costing the club Ama20 fixtures. Several players have been injured, and league matches have come close to cancellation. Jantjies also questions why clubs in Atlantis are prevented from performing their own maintenance while clubs in better-resourced areas are allowed to take over upkeep. Skilled residents are willing to help but are blocked by municipal rules. “We are calling for open discussions with the City, clear plans for improvement, and the formation of an Atlantis Sports Board to ensure all sporting codes are fairly represented.”
Soccer administrators echo these concerns, warning that their season expected to start in March is already at risk. One experienced administrator, who requested anonymity, says the fields are heavily worn long before the first whistle. “There’s also a factory league that plays on Friday evenings. I think in a year or so there won’t be much grass left,” he says.
Mahoney agrees, saying he believes the solution lies in a more structured, partnership-based approach in which dedicated officials work alongside clubs during their sporting seasons. “There are many ideas and willing people, but clubs are becoming extremely frustrated. We need less talking and more doing.” Despite the rugby season ending last August and restarting only two weeks ago, nothing has been done to prepare or upgrade the fields.
Soccer clubs report the same: their season ended around September or October and begins again in February, yet fields remain untouched. Cricket is currently in season and will run until the end of March, but players say their grounds are in no better shape. They fear another season may be compromised unless action is taken urgently.
- At the time of going to press, the City of Cape Town had not submitted a response to Impact News (Editor).
