Office of Councillor Simon Zhou

  The City of Ryde will waive ground hire and sports field lighting costs for the remainder of the 2020 winter sports season to help local sporting clubs recover from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The unanimous decision from Council comes as community sport is set to resume on 1 July, more than three months after all community sporting matches were suspended as part of COVID-19 restrictions. The suspension of community sport has had a serious impact on the finances of some local sporting clubs and organisations, with some struggling due to a loss in memberships, sponsors and ongoing fees. City of Ryde Mayor, Clr Jerome Laxale, said the waiving of ground hire and sports field lighting costs will help ensure local sporting organisations survive the current crisis. “Since the COVID-19 pandemic begun this Council’s intention has been to provide support to those who need it. The waiving of these costs does just that by providing support to those clubs who