Facilities

Introduction

Increasing the number and quality of places and spaces for Australians to participate in athletics is a key component of the Athletics in Australia National Participation Plan and a critical aspect of driving growth in athletics participation across the country.

Australian Athletics, in partnership with its state and territory Member Associations, has been investing heavily in the creation of practical, evidence-based state and territory facility plans to drive increased facility development across the country. These plans, based on data, are vital to support advocacy efforts and unlock funding opportunities. A National Facilities Plan is also earmarked for development in the second half of 2026 that will draw from and link with state level plans, as well as having a focus on national and international standard facilities.

Alongside of this, Australian Athletics has been exploring the opportunity to foster the development of 200m short track facilities (both indoor and outdoors) to complement existing and future full scale 400m track and field facilities.

Facility plans are at various stages of development with the current status of each plan available below. This page will be updated progressively with links to view the facility plans made available as the plans are released publicly.

National and State Facility Plans

Facility plans for all eight states and territories are either complete or underway and scheduled for completion by the end of June 2026. The table and links below provide access to completed plans and information and timelines regarding plans that are underway.

Plan	Developed By	Link/Status
Capital Athletics Facilities Strategy	Inside Edge	Progressing. Anticipate public release in August 2026.
NSW Athletics Facility Strategy	Inside Edge	NSW Facilities Strategy NSW Strategy Executive Summary
Athletics West State Facilities Plan	Kinetica	WA Facilities Plan
Victorian State Facilities Plan	Inside Edge	Pending public release.
Tasmania Statewide Facilities Plan	Inspiring Place	Draft complete. Public launch in September 2026.
Northern Territory Facilities Plan	Tredwell	NT Facilities Plan
Queensland State Facilities Plan	ROSS Planning	Queensland Facilities Plan
SA Track and Field State Facilities Plan	City-Collective	SA Facilities Plan

National Athletics Facilities Plan	TBC	Slated for development in the second half of 2026 following the completion of all state and territory facility plans.

Short Track Facilities

In May 2023, World Athletics announced the introduction of “short track” to replace the term “indoor” which had traditionally described events conducted on a 200m track, predominantly indoors and generally conducted in colder climates. This move was aimed at allowing more flexibility in the establishment and use of 200m venues across the globe, including the permanent construction of 200m tracks outdoors or temporary 200m tracks in city locations. Currently, there are no permanent existing or planned 200m tracks, either indoors or outdoors in Australia.

Whilst Australian Athletics’ priority is to ensure the provision of an adequate number of high-quality, fit for purpose 400m outdoor track and field facilities, the introduction of short track as a global discipline has created more flexibility and legitimacy for the potential installation of 200m short track facilities in the Australian environment. We see 200m short tracks as an opportunity to complement 400m facilities by expanding the number of available spaces for Australians to participate in athletics and to fit within a range of different environments where full-scale 400m facilities are simply not viable.

To increase awareness and encourage the development of short track facilities, Australian Athletics has developed an overview and guidance document for Short Track Facilities.

Australian Athletics Short Track Facilities Overview and Guidance

Technical Information

For technical documentation and resources relating to facilities, including guidelines and links to the World Athletics Book of Rules, please visit the Rules, Technical and Officiating section on the Australian Athletics Info Hub via the following link:

Facility Technical Information

Documentation in this hub includes the following key information regarding facility development, regulations, and certification:

General Facilities Brief

This outline brief may be used as a starting point for the group designated to advise consultants on the design of new athletics facilities.

World Athletics Information on Facilities

The Technical Section of the World Athletics Book of Rules page has significant detail on certification of equipment, athletics tracks and facilities.

World Athletics Technical Information

World Athletics Track & Field Facilities Manual. This publication is the most comprehensive document for designing and constructing an athletics facility. It includes details regarding approved athletics facilities and how to get a track certified.