SPORTS AND PLAY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LTD (SAPIA)

Association Profile

The Sports and Play Industry Association (SAPIA) is the peak industry body for sports, playground and recreation construction in Australasia. Its members are specialists in the design, construction, installation, testing and maintenance of sports facilities and playspaces, as well as the manufacture and supply of compliant sports and playground equipment.

SAPIA members include builders, subcontractors, manufacturers, suppliers and professional consultants. They have expertise in building and surfacing all types of sports and recreation areas, including tennis courts, playgrounds, basketball and netball courts, bowling greens, hockey fields, squash courts, athletic tracks, equestrian arenas, soccer fields, cricket pitches, golf courses, baseball fields, rugby and AFL fields, skateboard parks and velodromes.

Members manufacture and install sports floodlighting, fencing, all types of nets and goal posts, basketball towers, discus cages, shade structures and shade sails, synthetic grass and acrylic surfacing materials, as well as ancillary products. Consultants provide professional and technical services, facility design and engineering, as well as testing to Australian and International standards.

SAPIA typically assists consumers and project managers seeking recommendations for sport court builders, councils seeking advice on specifications, and principal contractors looking to subcontract to specialist sportsfield installers.

History

Established in 2000, SAPIA is a not-for-profit association promoting the best construction standards and business practices for the benefit of both members and their customers, as well as to contribute to the safe sporting pleasure of participants who use facilities constructed and/or serviced by members of the Association.

Initially known as the Tennis Court and Sports Field Builders Association of Australasia, in 2004 a name change to Sports Contractors Association better reflected the expansion of the membership to encompass not only builders but also sports equipment suppliers and professional consultants.

In 2016, with the further broadening of the membership to include specialist playground contractors and suppliers, the Association rebranded as the Sports and Play Industry Association (SAPIA).

Objectives

• To raise standards of design, construction and workmanship in the sports and recreation industries in Australasia.
• To encourage and promote sound and ethical business practices among our members through education and mentoring, the sharing of information and knowledge, and adherence to a code of ethics.
• To promote the skills and expertise of our Association’s members to end users and sporting bodies.
• To raise consumer confidence and goodwill by offering advice and a dispute resolution service.
• To provide a representative voice for the industry to the public and regulatory authorities.

Put simply, SAPIA wants to make sure that the best sports courts, sports fields and playspaces are designed, built, installed and maintained to a high standard by people who have been trained to do the job right and who offer appropriate warranties, for the benefit of both the end users and contractors.

Contact & Information

Sports and Play Industry Association Limited
Robyn Wilcox
PO Box 118, Mona Vale NSW 1660
P              1800 208 202 (Australia)
P              0800 208 202 (New Zealand)
E             office@sapia.org.au
W            sapia.org.au