Last year i saw a girl get her leg caught in the net at port Adelaide,then a player from the other court stepped on her protruding leg.Court 2 at mt Barker had a boy smash his head on the wall which is around a few inches from the sideline.

I've seen a child run into the glass door/windows at MSAC....they are way too close to the court!

The standard of infrastructure at courts in SA can be said to be woeful at the least.

Workcover have a massive unfunded liability and they are currently going through a round of litigation that will only seem to escalate over time. Workplace Services are under a lot of pressure to "shoot first, ask questions later" with a "let the courts work it out" approach.

There needs to be a minimum standard with respect to courts. Hazards located within a set distance from the playing surface need to be assessed and risks mitigated.

In the event of an accident, questions will be asked. Those questions relate to risk identification, risk assessment and risk control. In particular, what "reasonable steps" were taken to minimise the risk or eliminate the hazard.

Any player injured as a result of a ball entering their court from a neighbouring court can take civil action in the courts and expect a very good chance of a win. The question will be asked "where is your risk assessment?" No risk assessment? Expect to pay lots. With a risk assessment? Expect to pay less.

pretty sure there is a standard set out by fiba?

sure there is an australian standard too

Remember the old (I think) forestville court 2, where the wall/back of grandstand of court 1 was about a meter from the court. Felt as if it was 30cm away when you where trying to inbound the ball.

The wall ran almost directly along the sideline. The gap was WAY less than a metre. It had the dotted lines inside the court that you could stand behind to inbound. In hindsight it was so dangerous!

If I can add some sensibilities to the conversation.... so playing on an outside court 20 years ago (or a bit more) means I can sue someone because I hurt my knee? Get a friggin grip !!

As much as I think Hillcrest and Marion need to work hard to address the problems (read Basketball SA + local council) let's stay calm and try to be constructive in making sure things get fixed sooner rather than later.
Lobby people strategically at the council level (a la Knox in Vic) and get the powerful people to take notice. There is Federal money there for organisations to provide valid community activities such as organized sport.

Jack Toft I'd be interested to know where you pull your analysis from. Is it from a legal background or a commercial one?

Because from a legal standpoint I don't see how really any of what you are saying is accurate... for example, what does Workcover have to do with it? The netball player wasn't at work, was she?

Don't want to seem like a c*nt, but there are lots of incorrect statements in your post, I'm sorry to point out.

And Rock, for the record, no you couldn't sue for something that happened 20 years ago.

I want to sue every local council for injuries suffered by stray skateboards at skateparks and small children in the way.

Workcover from the umpires perspective

Do all "Anon's" look the same?

From personal experience as manager of a sports facility in NSW some years ago.

First week on the job, father and son hire a bowling machine, son has his go, Dad decides to step up to the plate (his Workcover statement admits inexperience, no skill, and fear). Who knows what happened - I suspect kid lets the ball go before Dad's ready or is picking up balls (kid was 12 and precluded from operating the machine). Short story - Dad gets sat on his arse with a mouthful of blood and some bruises. Dad is a laywer and lodges a claim through Workcover as well as through the courts.... for $750,000.

During the investigation I said to the Workcover guy why does the Dad, who admits not being up to it, not wear any responsibility - he said 'there's a fair bit of pride at stake with his son!' I did ask how proud he felt sitting there with a mouthful of blood.

Insurance company settled for $45K (without consultation with us) and put our insurance premiums up by $26K per annum. Workcover fined us 'only' $15K in light of the extensive mitigating work we had done post-injury (another $20K) and legals of $15K - all for what was in essence, a bruised jaw.

It's real and it happens (generally if the wrong person gets hurt - most of us would put ourtail between our legs and go home nurse our bruises). WorkCover AND the courts (at least in NSW).

That's rough. Great story though!

i particularly like the bit about the dad being sat on his arse. That's sort of like the moral to the story eh?

The iron rails along the stairs to the bar at Pasadena have been one of my concerns for years. Thin with sharp corners.

Doesn't halp that some lawyers out there really push their client. I had a motorcycle accident a few months ago. Wasn't my fault. Some bumps, bruises, and quite a sore neck for a couple of weeks. Just wanted money for the bike, didn't want to claim compensation for injury. Stated that to my insurance lawyer at least 5 times. Nevertheless, they continued to claim, continued to claim, and next thing I know 2 months later I have an appointment with a specialist. Are you retarded??? So I had to cancel that and explain AGAIN I just want to be paid out for my bike and ripped gear/helmet.

F*cking lawyers.