Season of waiting ends as stadium seating cleared for use

THE retractable seating at Torquay’s Wurdi Baieer Stadium will finally be in play when the Surfcoast Basketball Association (SBA) tips off in 2026, after delays left the new structure unused all last season.

The $500,000 project has faced setbacks since April, when the aisles of the stadium seating were found to be too narrow to meet Australian Standards and posed a fire risk.

This forced a redesign of the structure which saw its seating capacity reduced and required additional safety upgrades, including the installation of emergency lighting.

The Surf Coast Shire says the final delay was due to supply chain issues, with the required emergency lighting needing to be specially ordered and unavailable sooner.

The cumulative delays meant the SBA was unable to use the seating for any of its major events this season, including the Big V finals and junior awards presentations.

“We gave up court times and availability for it to be built, and then to not be able to use it – a lot of families were pretty disappointed,” SBA president Leon Sayers said.

 

 

Rectification works were initially expected to be completed by the end of August, but by October, a building permit had still not been issued.

“It was probably the negative for us for the year because we’ve had a pretty successful year on and off the court between the awards we won, the championship we won, and the improve across the board of all teams.

“It was the one thing that just took away from a pretty great year.”

The shire confirmed the seating is now fully compliant and ready for use, after the installation of the lighting and the issuing of a Certificate of Final Inspection.

“We acknowledge there have been some challenges with this project,” the shire’s acting general manager of community life Travis Nelson said.

“We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding from Surfcoast Basketball Association, Wurdi Baieer Stadium primary user groups and the community as we worked to ensure the seating met all safety and regulatory requirements.

“We’re excited that the seating will mean bigger crowds for SBA and a great experience for spectators at the stadium for years to come.”

With the stadium seating ready ahead of next season, Mr Sayers said the club could begin planning for larger events able to draw bigger crowds.

He hoped it would help “make the atmosphere a real cauldron” for the SBA and energise its teams during competitions. “It’s really just trying to get it behind us now and just keep moving forward,” he said.