Toro Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of CEA as the new authorised distributor for its commercial equipment portfolio across key regions in New South Wales. Effective immediately, CEA will support customers across Greater Sydney and surrounding areas, including the Central Coast, Lithgow Shire, Wingecarribee Shire and down to Shoalhaven city council.
Sports turf construction and renovation is a hot topic and with many variables on the best solutions and surface type for your venue. It can be a confusing and complex process to bring all the puzzle pieces together. STA NSW is hosting an event to delve deep into many of the aspects of sports field construction and renovation practices to assist you make the right decisions for your circumstances
Sports Turf Manager / Greenkeeper position is available at the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation - Narrabeen. Full time position with immediate start. Click image above for more information or send resume to tyson.knight@solutionsplus.au
The International Turfgrass Research conference was held in Japan recently and we are excited to advise that long term STA NSW Committee Member, Nadeem Zreikat was appointed as a Director of the International Turfgrass Society (ITS). Nadeem is a very passionate advocate for our industry through education and research, and he will be a great addition to the ITS Board. (July 25)
Congratulations to the STA NSW Graduate of the Year from the class of 2024 - Jorjia Hogg. Jorjia works at Newcastle City Council and is such a great young ambassador for our industry. She was able to spend a few days at Accor Stadium for the State of Origin preparation and game day. We look forward to supporting Jorjia in her future in sports turf. (June 25)
STA NSW was extremely pleased with the response to the STA NSW Apprentice Day at the conference. This was a new initiative and with the event being held in Sydney, we saw it as a great opportunity to support Sports Turf Management Students. Around 85 Apprentices from across NSW attended the conference at no cost to themselves and were able to attend the equipment demonstrations, tradeshow, presentations and tour Accor Stadium, Engie Stadium and the NSW Rugby League Centre of Excellence.
Opportunities to grow sporting field carrying capacity on Sydney's North Shore, this study assessed about 95% of the natural turf sports fields on Sydney’s North Shore to quantify the potential increase in carrying capacity from using new generation grasses.
Turf NSW has developed the state’s first independent erosion and sediment demonstration site in Richmond. The NSW demonstration site will serve as an educational platform through field days and training programs and will be a great resource for many industries dealing with erosion control, local government, water and sediment filtration, riverbank remediation, farming and general landowners. The demonstration site was launched in June 2025 and is now available for workshops and training.
This video highlights the benefits of natural turf in providing a cooler option for sports turf and ground cover. On 28 degree day the synthetic grass is shown to be significantly hotter than the natural turf, creating a damaging impact on urban heat island, reaching up to a dangerous 54 degrees celsius. There is a lot of evidence to show the dangers of kids and adults playing on synthetic surfaces due to the heat.
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s (DCCEEW) Best-Practice Guidelines for Sporting Fields (January 2025).
This Turf NSW project demonstrates the value and benefits of utilising natural turf to restore riverbanks and prevent further erosion. (March 2025)
STA NSW is running an NRL Footy Tipping Comp, and everyone is welcome to join. Many thanks to our sponsors: Veljohn and K&B Adams (March 25)
STA NSW attended the Careers Advisors conference in Nov 24 and had the opportunity to present directly to Career Advisors across the state. There was a strong request for Work Experience placements. If you have the opportunity to take on a student during the year for work experience, please contact STA NSW.
Red Imported Fire Ants are invasive and destructive. Anyone bringing organic mulch, compost, growing media, manure, soil, hay, straw, chaff, silage, potted plants, turf, agricultural equipment, earth moving equipment, sand, gravel, chitters, coal fines, coal stone, overburden and decomposed granite into NSW from Queensland must comply with the current NSW Biosecurity (Fire Ant) Emergency Order.
Late last year we were saddened by the loss of one of the industry’s most lovable larrikin, Mark Mitchell. Mitch was a respected TAFE teacher and knew how to engage with students. He was a long-term Committee Member of STA NSW and always passionate and dedicated to growing a strong industry, particularly the younger generation. Our condolences to Mark's family and all his sports turf friends - he will be dearly missed. (Feb 23)
STA NSW & Turf NSW combined for a great industry event in Pitt Town. Over 100 people attended the day that included machinery demonstrations and a variety of presentations. Photos of the event are available in the Gallery.