Sport Central sports advisor Tiny Carruthers is leading a group pushing for higher quality courts at the Wānaka Recreation Centre (WRC).

The group wants to see the WRC’s two courts upgraded to sprung wooden courts, which are widely considered as the best flooring for indoor sports for their ability to absorb shock and reduce injury risk.

Tiny told the Wānaka App a presentation about the project he gave last week to the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) had gone well and the group’s next step is to make a formal proposal to Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).

A sprung wooden court has numerous advantages, Tiny said, including being less slippery than the current flooring at the WRC, which is synthetic and has just 4mm of underlay.

Tiny said the group plans to make a formal proposal to QLDC about the project. 

Upgrading the WRC courts would improve the playing experience for the huge number of people who use the existing courts, which includes 400 basketball players and 600 netball players, among many others.

WRC users of all ages and abilities would benefit from having the safest possible flooring.

With a sprung wooden court, the WRC could also attract high quality teams to inspire Wānaka’s young sportspeople, Tiny said.

He said a professional netball team which visited Wānaka in recent weeks “couldn’t train, let alone play, on our surface”.

Instead they travelled to the Queenstown Events Centre, which has sprung wooden courts.

Local physiotherapist Jenny Ferguson, who is a member of the group advocating for the court upgrades, said a sprung wooden court was the “gold standard” of courts.

“It has a lower ground reaction force, which is the amount of force going through your body when you land or pivot,” she said. “There’s much more force that goes through your body when you jump and land - about five to six times your body weight.”

“The wooden court can absorb some of that force and lessen it.”

Local sports clubs have also banded together to support the initiative for new courts, Tiny said, and the QLDC sport and recreation team had been positive about the idea.

The group has projected the cost of the court upgrades at $350,000 and Tiny said he hoped a combination of council contribution and local fundraising could fund the project.

He said the group was now putting together its proposal with plans to share it with QLDC in the near future.

PHOTOS: Supplied