City of Playford has begun upgrading a popular local sports hub, adding more parking and modern changerooms to enhance the experience of the much-loved precinct.

Widely regarded as the headquarters of netball in Playford, Argana Park features 22 outdoor netball courts, along with cricket nets, two football ovals and five soccer pitches.

The Elizabeth Downs venue has been a pillar of the city’s sporting culture since the early days of Elizabeth, hosting a variety of local teams and large-scale competitions.

Community concerns about limited parking led to a key component of the upgrade focussing on the addition of 300 extra spaces. The upgrade includes expanding car parking around the main football oval and their clubrooms as well as near the soccer clubrooms, reducing the walking distance to these facilities, beneficial for weeknight training.

These enhancements aim to ease parking pressures and traffic flow issues on weeknights and weekends, as Playford’s residential growth places further demand on its assets and facilities.

Argana Park, located at the intersection of Midway and Main North Road, is home to four sporting clubs/organisations, the Elizabeth Downs Soccer Club, Elizabeth Football Club, Elizabeth Netball Association and Craigmore Cricket Club.

The installation of modern changerooms will replace the original facilities, which have received minor updates over the years to keep up with the growing needs of the soccer and netball club. The original changerooms will be converted into much-needed storage space for clubs’ use.

These unisex changerooms will be freestanding and purpose-built to accommodate multiple teams, with a strong emphasis on accessibility, user privacy and functionality.

Further upgrades to adjoining footpaths, oval lighting and widening an internal road to cope with traffic needs and signage are also planned, enhancing the overall experience for players, spectators and visitors alike.

The $6-million project is jointly funded with $4.6 million from the City of Playford and a $1.5 million contribution from the State Government.

This upgrade project is expected to be complete in late 2025.

Attributable to Playford Mayor Glenn Docherty

This upgrade will see Argana Park continue to serve the Playford community as a central sporting hub.

The addition of more than 300 car park spaces will ease congestion and improve parking ability on gamedays.

These new modern changerooms will provide fantastic amenities for players, officials and spectators.

Many locals remember playing on the courts or the oval at Argana Park and improving this venue ensures the facility remains a high-quality asset for future generations as our city grows.

Attributable to Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Katrine Hildyard MP

I’m thrilled to see construction underway on this upgrade of Argana Park – a place at the heart of this community that has brought people together through sport in an enduring way.

Argana Park is really important to local people and I am so pleased that in partnership with Council and the clubs that call this place home, the State Government is supporting infrastructure that will mean it is more accessible and equipped to serve more people into the future.

This project reflects the State Government’s commitment to supporting the clubs at the heart of communities across our state who help improve people’s physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

By revitalising these facilities, we’re embracing emerging growth in sport and providing community with versatile and high-quality spaces that will promote active lifestyles for generations to come.

Attributable to Member for Elizabeth Lee Odenwalder MP

The $1.5-million State Government contribution to this project was one of my most important commitments at the last election.

I grew up playing in Argana Park. It has always been an important feature of our community, providing a go-to location for netball, as well as soccer, football and cricket.

Like many other sporting venues, Argana Park is growing and requires investment to support this growth. Modern, large sport clubs demand adaptable and inclusive spaces that serve a diverse range of needs and accommodate multiple tenant clubs at a time.

It will be rewarding to see the clubs and their visitors enjoy these improvements and have a better experience using the precinct.

Attributable to Steve Hogan, Elizabeth Football Club secretary

The Elizabeth Eagles welcome Council’s commitment to the local sporting community and look forward to seeing the development take place.

Argana Park has been the starting point for many young and aspiring sports people in the northern suburbs and has been a pillar of the local community.

For the Eagles, the upgraded parking and lights can allow for night-time football and bigger crowds.

Attributable to Lois Scaife, Elizabeth Netball Association president

We are excited about this upgrade because we often experience issues with our amenities not always keeping up with larger carnivals, where we can host up to 4000 people.

Netball has a long history in Argana Park and we’re seeing an exciting trend of male players getting involved in our competitions, but we only have one men’s toilet, four women’s toilets and a disabled toilet.

This major upgrade will help with our new members joining. The added pathways, further parking and lighting will be a good safety feature as we are a night-time playing club.

Attributable to Andrew Webb, Elizabeth Downs Soccer Club spokesperson

The changeroom upgrade is a fantastic development for our soccer club.

It not only provides our players with a more comfortable and modern space to prepare for games but also fosters a greater sense of community and pride among our members.

It will allow our teams to prepare in a less rushed manner, having previously had to share the outgrown existing changerooms with the number of players accessing the facility.

This upgrade signifies City of Playford’s commitment to improving facilities and supporting the growth of soccer in our area.

Attributable to Nick Brodley, Craigmore Cricket Club president

We are super excited for the upgrade. The new cricket nets built to current standards is the most exciting part for us! We’ve needed this facility upgrade for a while and we’re incredibly grateful to Playford Council for its hard work to make it happen.

By expanding the parking and entry area at the facility, it will make getting in and out of Argana Park much safer and easier. This really is a big win for families, spectators and players on gamedays.