Sporting groups have called for urgent action to repair Katherine's most used sporting oval.
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One group claims concussion injuries recently suffered by one young player was a direct result of the hard, bare surface.
The sporting groups claim the ovals are over-used and poorly maintained.
Today, the Katherine Times joined one of the clubs on an inspection of the three main ovals at the Katherine Sportground.
All were dry and dusty, with only a few patches of green grass. Oval two has holes in the playing surface.
Katherine Junior Rugby League vice president Brett Payne said he was frustrated with the lack of maintenance from Katherine Town Council, who is in charge of preserving the Sportground.
"There are dead patches everywhere, you can see where sprinklers are not working because there is not enough pressure from the bores," Mr Payne said.
About three weeks ago an U16 Katherine Junior Rugby League player was tackled to the ground, hitting his head hard on the dry surface and was later taken to hospital with a concussion, Mr Payne said.
He was playing in the first round of home games, following a lacklustre wet season.
More than 400 plus players use the grounds on a weekly basis in dry season competitions.
But now sporting clubs are considering whether to continue playing games or even training until the grounds are repaired.
Mr Payne, the father of eight children who use the field regularly, said he is concerned, along with other parents, one of the players will take a tumble, ending in serious damage.
"It is horrible for players to run on, there are patches of bare dirt, and holes.
"We have had a couple of concussions on the field which might not have been so severe had the ground been softer."
Mr Payne claims he has complained to KTC about the state of the fields on a number of occasions, but nothing has been done.
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"If council put a little bit of effort into watering the fields, they would be fine to use.
"We understand there is funding to fix up the Sportground, but from what we can see that money is going to fix up the club house.
"We need money spent now otherwise sport here will suffer."
Katherine Touch Association treasurer Melinda Whelan said the issue has been ongoing for more than two years.
She claims she has made numerous complaints to the council, in the hopes that more interest is taken in the facility - as most of the clubs are run on volunteers, they simply can't afford to do their own maintenance.
"We get lip service but nothing actually comes about," Mrs Whelan said.
"[The fields] are not up to standard. We don't require the same standard as rugby league because we are a non-contact sport, but it is definitely an ongoing issue.
"No one from council comes down regularly to monitor the fields, the water system itself needs attention.
"We would like the council to take more of an interest in the facility so many people in the community are using."
According to a KTC spokeswoman, the maintenance of the fields had suffered due to issues with the bores.
"The bores at the Sportsgrounds had issues and the Katherine Town Council have been working hard to fix these matters," she said.
"The problems of the bores weren't simple fixes, unfortunately, and this is why it took longer to fix.
"However, we are happy to announce that we now have two out of three bores fixed and are adding extra watering to our maintenance schedule."
As it stands, sporting clubs are heading into the busiest time of year.
About 300 youth from Katherine and remote communities participated in the annual Luke Kelly Cup last week.
And teams from Darwin and Alice Springs descended on the town recently for the U14 NT Titans tryouts, but the feedback from coaches and trainers was disappointing.
"Reps are bringing top athletes down and they are playing on sub-standard fields. We stand to lose the chance to hold selections here and the cost to get to Darwin is something some parents can't afford," Mr Payne said.
"This could be the end of sport for some kids."
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