IPSWICH’S booming population is driving record levels of community sport participation, with new figures showing an unprecedented surge in the use of Ipswich City Council sporting fields and facilities.
The Community and Sport Report Card 2024-2025 reveals 500 hours of organised sport are played across Council’s 47 locations every day of the year.
That’s more than 182,000 hours annually, representing a 12.3 per cent increase from last year.
Community and Sport Committee Chairperson Councillor Jacob Madsen said the figures reflected Ipswich’s rapid growth and deep love of sport.
“It reflects the surge in population – the city continues to attract huge numbers of new residents as one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities,” Cr Madsen said.
Ipswich’s long-standing reputation as a sports-mad city continues to shine through, with the report card highlighting key projects, achievements and collaborative efforts between the Council and community organisations.
Across the city, 166 sport and recreation clubs now operate in 41 different codes, supported by 47 locations offering 287 playing spaces.
That includes 101 courts, with 91 per cent under lights, and 105 fields, 74 per cent of which are lit.
A further 91 facilities cater to a wide range of recreation, from practice nets and bowls to croquet and motorsport.
The Council also provided $1.87 million in community funding through 424 approved applications.
The Active and Healthy Program delivered 1953 activities with 31,397 recorded instances of participation.
“From athletics star Gout Gout and his coach Diane Sheppard to breakout Brisbane Broncos NRLW talent Shalom Sauaso, and Olympic champion swimmer Molly O’Callaghan, Ipswich continues to punch above its weight in sport,” Cr Madsen said.
