Another sportsground has been hit by a shocking incident of vandalism with grass ripped up and damage done to newly renovated facilities.
The issue of e-bikes, electric motorbikes, e-scooters and other vehicles being used to destroy sportsgrounds has been impacting the community in the Canberra region for several months.
Across the ACT-NSW border, the issue is the same, with David Madew Oval in Jerrabomberra the latest target.
On Friday afternoon it is understood witnesses at the ground saw a large group of young people on motorcycles doing burnouts around the oval, leaving extensive damage to the grass.
NSW Police were contacted on Friday as witnesses did not feel safe approaching the group.
Police launched proactive patrols as a result of recent reports of damage at the oval.
On Sunday, in a separate event, the patrols resulted in a 14-year-old boy being arrested on Acacia Avenue in Jerrabomberra, after he was seen riding a motorised bike. He was taken to the station and dealt with under the Young Offenders Act, but was not charged.
"NSW Police encourage witnesses of vandalism to report incidents in real time by contacting the Police Assistance Line on 131 444, or by uploading a report, photos and videos to the community portal online," a spokesperson said.
David Madew Oval is used by the Monaro Panthers Football Club, and was only recently given a facelift by Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council with fresh paint, kitchen updates, and repairs to the facade and gutters.
However, along with the turf damage at the oval, sticky mud was also flung across the sides of the freshly-painted amenities building, clearly from bike burnouts, which added to the clean-up job.
"It's very disappointing. The place looks an absolute mess," a Monaro Panthers spokesperson told The Canberra Times.
"They've flicked mud all up the concrete and on the walls and dug out massive holes in the grass. They go onto the fields and do doughnuts tearing the place up.
"It leaves an uneven surface on the ground, so kids and adults using the ground can roll their ankles."
There were no games held at the oval on the weekend with council closing grass sportsgrounds due to rain.
The move is designed to keep up the standard of public sportsgrounds for the winter sports seasons when it is difficult for grass to regrow.
"The reasons games get called off by council is to preserve the fields, so we don't need another element causing damage," the Panthers spokesperson added.
"These kids have paid their registration, they want to play football and have fun. But the fields don't recover because the grass doesn't grow well in winter."
On one side of the oval's amenities building that includes change rooms, toilets and a canteen, is a BMX track, and on the other side is a skate park, with Jerrabomberra High School also sitting on the perimeter.
The mayor of Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, Kenrick Winchester, said he had seen videos of vandalism at sportsgrounds in the Queanbeyan region being posted shamelessly on social media. It was a concerning trend that he described as "beyond a joke".
"They literally film themselves doing this damage, and then post it on social media," he said.
Winchester confirmed ground staff were attending David Madew Oval to complete repairs.
"Our sportsground staff will be out there and they have to fix the damage," he said.
"It's a council facility, so it's ratepayers that end up paying and it potentially impacts hundreds of kids that use those fields for training and games in the season.
"We've got Kanga Cup coming up. If this happens to some of the fields Capital Football need for that tournament, it could cause massive dramas.
"These vandals should wake up to themselves.
"Motorbikes aren't for riding on council sportsgrounds. Go to farm paddocks and out camping, that's when you use your motorbikes, not through the streets of Jerrabomberra."
A council spokesperson described the damage done to the oval as appearing to be "very deep" skid and acceleration tyre marks and had "caused significant frustration and safety issues".
"Staff have been assessing the ground. Unfortunately, this time of year it is very cold, so there is little to no recovery and regrowth possible in grass," the spokesperson said.
"It will take most of this week to fill and repair the worst damage, resulting in maintenance being redirected from other grounds.
"This also has a flow-on effect for our other sports fields as time taken to complete repairs at David Madew will take time away from maintaining other fields across the area.
"Council would appreciate any names or confirmation of who was responsible for this vandalism, and we encourage local residents who hear motorbikes on the oval to call NSW Police."
