Rain-soaked fields: Government to close Canberra fields after wet chaos

Some competitions made the tough call to can games on the first weekend of winter-code action as pristine grass was replaced with puddles and mud.

A handful of games went ahead in sloppy conditions after more than 60 millimetres were recorded across Saturday and Sunday.

ACT government staff kept the grounds open on the weekend for match play, leaving it to individual sports to decide if it was too wet or dangerous to continue.

They remain open for match play, but have been closed for training and will be reassessed on Tuesday.

"All ACT government turf sportsgrounds are closed for training today, Monday 8 April 2024 due to the recent wet weather. Match play is permitted," the government said.

"Grounds will be reassessed again tomorrow, Tuesday 9 April 2024."

The opening rounds of the ACT's top sporting competitions are falling like dominoes with officials postponing games in the midst of a severe weather warning, and the Rally of Canberra is another victim of the rain.

Canberra Raiders Cup and Katrina Fanning Shield rugby league games have all been postponed, while Capital Football has opted to cancel Capital League matches and youth games, with one NPLM match to be rescheduled.

The Rally of Canberra at Kowen Forest will only have action on Sunday now with Saturday's heat cancelled due to heavy rain on Friday night and Saturday morning.

"Following careful consideration with our dedicated officiating team, due to the amount of water that has fallen and is continuing to fall, the decision has reluctantly been made to cancel Saturday's stages of the 2024 Techworkz Automotive Rally of Canberra," event organisers said in a statement.

"At the forefront of the decision is our team on the ground out in the weather and their safety, along with the safety of all teams and drivers, is paramount.

"We fully expect that we can run all stages on Sunday in the Kowen Forest, and our assessment crews will be out later this afternoon to assess whether that is possible."

Late Friday evening Rally of Canberra organisers had already made the decision to reduce the itinerary to three stages over 25 kilometres which meant only half of Australian Rally Championship points would be offered at the event.

Then heavier than expected rain through Friday night and Saturday morning saw the day's heat cancelled.

John I Dent Cup games will be played as planned as will the women's Premier XVs matches, however earlier lower grade fixtures were wiped out.

The fear of turning Canberra's sportsgrounds into mud pits in the opening round of the season had already forced the ACT government to consider closing venues across the city.

A nervous wait to see if season-opening games would go ahead was seemingly put to bed on Friday afternoon, with government officials confirming games will go ahead despite the intense rain and damaging winds set to sweep across the capital.

Canberra was expected to receive up to 40mm of rain on Friday and up to 45mm on Saturday before easing, in a major blow to local sporting competitions planning to start their seasons this weekend.

"We regret to inform you that all the Senior Capital League Open matches scheduled for Saturday 6 April have been cancelled (Capital League 1-10)," a Capital Football statement said.

"In addition, all NPL and CPL Boys and Girls Junior matches are off.

"The decision was made due to concerns about player safety and field preservation for future rounds. We understand the disappointment this may cause, but rescheduling the entire round would place significant pressure on Capital Football and the clubs to secure mid-week fields and ensure team availability.

"Furthermore, we will be closely monitoring the weather conditions and ground conditions for Sunday's matches i.e. Capital League Womens, Masters League Mens and Masters League Womens. As of now, Sunday matches are going ahead until further notice."

Now long pre-seasons will drag on for another week despite the ACT government - traditionally protective of its sportsgrounds because of the high amount of traffic they receive with training sessions and games across a raft of sports - keeping grounds open.

Canberra's government-run sportsgrounds only re-opened on Monday after a staged two-week shutdown of grounds to prepare them for the winter season.

The government will reassess the condition of fields on Monday. Should they be worse for wear, one option at their disposal is to close grounds for training and recreational play, but open them for matches. It would force clubs to seek alternative training options.

The weather was a hot topic at Friday morning's John I Dent Cup season launch, with clubs fearing the damaging weather could wreak havoc on grounds - some of which had been upgraded in recent months.

The bureau updated its severe weather warning early on Friday, forecasting the trough over eastern New South Wales to deepen "under the influence of a slow-moving upper-level low over central New South Wales".

"Severe weather is forecast to ease below warning thresholds by Saturday afternoon," the bureau said.

The warning is primarily for NSW, but includes a small part of the north and southeastern tips of the ACT border.

The rain is expected to ease in Canberra from Sunday, with a 60 per cent chance of rain and a forecast of up to 3mm.

Saturday

AFL CANBERRA WOMEN: Queanbeyan Tigers v Ainslie at Karabar, 11.15am

AFL CANBERRA MEN: Queanbeyan Tigers v Ainslie at Karabar, 1pm

CANBERRA RAIDERS CUP: Belconnen United v Kangaroos at Bruce, 3pm; Woden Valley v West Belconnen at Phillip, 3pm; Queanbeyan Blues v Gungahlin Bulls at Seiffert Oval, 3pm; Yass Magpies v Tuggeranong at Walker Park, 3pm

KATRINA FANNING SHIELD: Woden Valley v West Belconnen at Phillip, 9.30am; Queanbeyan Blues v Gungahlin Bulls at Seiffert Oval, 10.40am; Belconnen United v Kangaroos at Bruce, 12pm; Yass Magpies v Tuggeranong at Walker Park, 12pm

JOHN I DENT CUP: Uni-Norths Owls v Vikings at ANU North, 3.05pm; Gungahlin Eagles v Royals at Nicholls, 3.05pm; Wests v Queanbeyan Whites at Jamison, 3.15pm

ACT PREMIER XVs RUGBY: Wests v Queanbeyan Whites at Jamison, 11.05am; Uni-Norths Owls v ViQueens at ANU North, 12.15pm; Gungahlin Eagles v Royals at Nicholls, 1.40pm

NPL Men's: O'Connor Knights v Tigers FC at O'Connor, 3pm; Gungahlin United v Tuggeranong at Hawker, 3pm

AIHL: Newcastle Northstars v Canberra Brave at Newcastle, 5pm;

Sunday

NPL Men's: Yoogali v Canberra Croatia at Yoogali, 1.15pm

NPL Women's: Gungahlin United v Canberra Olympic at Hawker, 2pm; Tuggeranong United v Canberra Croatia, 3pm; AIHLSydney Ice Dogs v Canberra Brave at Sydney, 5pm