The City of Melbourne has a range of open space within its parks that can be used for recreational purposes. This includes formal sports fields and designated lawn areas.
Schools, clubs and other organisations that require the use of a formal sports field are required to obtain a sports permit. Typically, hire of a sporting field will include line markings, goals and a playing surface that meets industry, occupational health and safety standards and guidelines.
The City of Melbourne issues two types of permits for community level sport:
Please note: Any recreational activity that does not require a marked field or infrastructure (such as goals) is considered 'passive recreation'. This is applicable to activities that are limited to a small number of participants, and are generally non-club related.
Sports field maps
Sports fields are located in Royal Park, Princes Park, Newmarket Reserve, Fawkner Park, King’s Domain and JJ Holland Park, with a separate map for each season. Download the sports fields maps here:
Summer season: 1 October to 31 March
Winter season: 1 April to 30 September
Royal Park summer map (PDF, 783kb)
Royal Park winter map (PDF, 460kb)
Princes Park summer map (PDF, 783kb)
Princes Park winter map (PDF, 318kb)
Newmarket Reserve summer map (PDF, 182kb)
Newmarket Reserve winter map (PDF, 161kb)
Fawkner Park summer map (PDF, 331kb)
Fawkner Park winter map (PDF, 171kb)
Kings Domain summer map (PDF, 270kb)
Kings Domain winter map (PDF, 265kb)
JJ Holland Park summer map (PDF, 198kb)
JJ Holland Park winter map (PDF, 430kb)