Doncaster Builds New Sports Facilities for Young Athletes

Doncaster’s youth sport scene is underpinned by a network of facilities, venues and infrastructure that cater to thousands of school-age athletes each year. At the heart of this ecosystem is the Tom Kelly Athletics Track in Doncaster East, a dedicated synthetic track that hosts athletics carnivals for multiple local schools.

The Tom Kelly Athletics Track is used for house and inter-school athletics events, including hurdles, javelin, high jump and long jump. According to citable sources, schools such as Doncaster Secondary College, Eltham High School and Bev Hills Primary School have held their athletics carnivals at the venue, which is also the base for the Doncaster Athletic Club. The club provides coaching and exclusive track access for athletes aged 14 and over, offering a pathway for young track and field athletes to progress through competitions.

School sport programs provide competitive pathways

Both Doncaster Secondary College and East Doncaster Secondary College offer extensive sport programs integrated with School Sport Victoria. These schools compete in the Eastern Zone across athletics, swimming, cross-country, basketball, soccer and netball. Senior students at East Doncaster Secondary College have achieved state titles and received Victorian Schools Sports Awards ‘Sporting Blues’, a recognition of elite school-level performance. The schools hire the Tom Kelly Athletics Track for weekday training between 8am and 3.30pm on a regular basis, ensuring consistent access for student athletes.

Beyond individual schools, School Sport Victoria organises district-level competitions for upper primary and secondary students in Doncaster, including athletics, with a clear selection pathway through divisional and state carnivals. This structured system means a promising young athlete can move from a school carnival to representing Doncaster at the state level, all supported by the existing facility infrastructure.

New indoor facilities on the horizon

While track and field remains a cornerstone, Doncaster’s sports infrastructure is also expanding in new directions. Plans have been approved by Doncaster Council to convert a warehouse at Wood Business, Wheat Hills, into a compact indoor sports venue featuring three pickleball courts. Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports among youth and adults, and this conversion will provide a dedicated indoor space for the sport.

For padel enthusiasts, Padel Master is set to open Doncaster’s first dedicated indoor padel facility in 2026 at Unit 1, Centurion Retail Park. This will add another option for racket sport participation, complementing the existing badminton, tennis and squash facilities in the city. At the elite level, plans for a £55 million elite football training centre in Bawtry were rejected by councillors over concerns about Green Belt land loss, though investment in grassroots football continues: Campsmount Academy is receiving £1 million in facility upgrades, including £807,385 from the Football Foundation.

The local authority is also investing in broader leisure infrastructure, with £6.9 million allocated for a new leisure centre in Edlington and £507,000 for wellness suite funding at Dearne Valley and Adwick centres. These investments reflect a coordinated effort to provide youth with accessible, modern places to train and compete.