MMS774 Sport Facility Audit: Melbourne Ballpark Event Management

This report presents a comprehensive facility audit of Melbourne Ballpark, a prominent venue for baseball and softball events. The audit encompasses an analysis of the park's nature, design, construction, strategy, organizational structure, marketing, programming, and operations. It evaluates the facility's ability to meet customer needs, addresses maintenance challenges, and highlights the importance of strategic investments. The report also delves into the park's stakeholders, competitive landscape, consumer profile, and human resources. Furthermore, it explores future-proofing strategies to ensure the park's continued success and relevance. The analysis considers the park's initial setup funded by the State and Federal Governments, its various renovations, and its well-defined organizational structure managed by Melbourne Aces. The report concludes with key recommendations for the park's sustainable development and operational excellence. Desklib provides access to this and many other solved assignments for students.

Melbourne’s Ballpark Facility Audit
ASSESSMENT # 1: FACILITY AUDIT
STUDENT NAME
STUDENT ID:
SUBJECT NAME: SPORT FACILITY AND EVENT MANAGEMENT
SUBJECT CODE: MMS774
UNIT CHAIR: MIKE NARAINE
TRIMESTER 2, 2018
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ABSTRACT
Facility audit involves analysis of various features and aspects of a place. The scope of
current facility audit involves analysis of Melbourne Ballpark field which is mainly known for
hosting baseball and softball gaming events. The scope of current facility audit reflects that the
location, features and facilities offered at the park is able to cater to customer needs. This
analysis is able to reflect upon aspects, which is necessary for future proofing of the park. The
park faces immense maintenance challenges which it needs to overcome. It requires extensive
investments to be made such that appropriate maintenance can take place. Being an organization
receiving support from State Government and Federal government, the park is able to generate
funds adequately.
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Table of Contents
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................2
1.0 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................4
2.0 FACILITY AUDIT....................................................................................................................4
2.1 Nature of Facility...................................................................................................................5
2.2 Design and Construction........................................................................................................6
2.3 Strategy and Organizational Structure...................................................................................7
2.4 Marketing.............................................................................................................................11
2.5 Programming........................................................................................................................12
2.6 Operations............................................................................................................................13
3.0 FUTURE PROOFING.............................................................................................................14
4.0 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................18
5.0 REFERENCES LISTS.............................................................................................................20
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
A facility audit is conducted by evaluating various information to analyse the
effectiveness with which a facility performs (Timperio, Giles-Corti, Crawford, Andrianopoulos,
Ball, Salmon & Hume, 2008). Auditing of a facility requires analyzing location, staffing, design,
staffing and marketing necessary for event management. The scope of current report involves
facility audit of Melbourne Ballpark, which has a Melbourne baseball ground. Melbourne Aces
is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League, which is located at Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia. The facility is located at the center of the city and has various features
including wide field, changing room, shower room and so on (Hepburn, 2013). It has an
organization which maintains the field with proper organizational structure to conduct regular
activities at the center. Initially physical components of the facility through which various
training and events are held are analysed. Thereafter, marketing activities, evaluation of human
resources and competitor analysis is undertaken to understand ways in which the facility
functions. Future challenges which the organization might face along with ways to deal with
such challenges are reflected at. The facility at Melbourne hosts Australian baseball League and
was established in the year 1990 (Emery, Crabtree & Kerr, 2012). The scope of this current
analysis takes into consideration detailed facility audit along with future challenges and
opportunities.
2.0 FACILITY AUDIT
Melbourne’s baseball ground is responsible for baseball, soft ball training and wellness
needs of Melbourne Aces team, staff and others who get selected for their team. It has a well-
defined organization structure governed by Melbourne Aces (Bainbridge, 2015). Melbourne
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Ballpark provides training needs for Baseball and Softball in Victoria. Initial set up of the park
was done by the State Government of Victoria contributing to $ 2 million and the Australian
Federal Government contributed to $ 1.8 million, which led to a total cost of $ 3.9 million in
establishing the entire park. An in-depth facility audit of various features and aspects of the park
can reveal in detail ways in which the park functions (John, 2015).
2.1 Nature of Facility
The park was constructed by CK Designwork Architects. Former name of the park was
Altona Stadium, based on its location at Merton Street, Altona, Victoria. The state Government
of Victoria is the Owner of the park and it has a siting capacity of 3,900 of siting and other
capacity (Mygind, Bentsen, Badland, Edwards, Hooper & Villanueva, 2016). The very large
field area offers multiple facilities for spectators, participative, natural along with multi-use
facilities as stated below.
 Spectator facilities: The Park offers multiple spectator facilities such as eateries,
washrooms, parking facilities, water availability and so on. These facilities offer
spectators benefits of enjoying the show in an unhindered manner and avail any of their
personal needs or demands.
 Participative facilities: Participants taking part in any sport are provided with changing
rooms, lockers where they can keep their personal belongings, washrooms with shower
facilities, a multi-facility gym and refueling zone where they can get food and drinks for
re-energizing.
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 Natural facilities: Natural facility of the park includes large field layout which includes
left field of 91 m, left-center being 105 m, center field 113 m, right center 105m and
right field being 91 m. The infield was initially made from Astroturf, which later was
changed into synthetic with grass outfield.
 Multi-use facilities: Multi-use features and facilities of the park include parking, with
washrooms, eateries and water facilities.
Figure 1: Melbourne's Ballpark field Facility
2.2 Design and Construction
The design and construction was initially undertaken in the year January of 1990, which
later was renovated a number of times. The following are the aspects of design and construction.
Australia Baseball Federation director Ron Smith selected Laverton location for the stadium
(Sekendiz, Gray, Norton, Keyzer, Dietrich, Eickhoff-Shemek & Finch, 2016). As the land was
free and money could be expended for building the venue instead of buying it elsewhere. The
park was finally opened by The Minister of Sport, the Honorable Neil Tresize.
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Needs assessment: The Park is able to cater to its basic needs. The large siting capacity of the
park allows multiple spectators with watch a game sitting comfortably. The inner basement of
the park hosts a number of features with which other associated needs of participants and
spectators are met.
Physical layout: The physical layout of the park includes a field with siting capacity. The
capacity of 3,900 of the park includes removal of seats along the base line and turning them into
standing area.
Renovations: Post opening of the park there have been multiple renovations which have taken
place. The park has been renovated in the year 1997, 2000, 2012, 2013 and in the year 2015. The
park often receives grants from the State Government of Victoria for various constructions
(Schwarz, Hall & Shibli, 2015). In the year 2000, the original AstroTurf was replaced with
newly improved surface with a cost of $250,000. In the year 2012 up gradation of the stadium
had taken place which was funded by the Sport and Recreation Victoria.
The organization totally funded by the State and Federal Government has a formal
organization structure which devises strategies for its professional functioning. A management
team is present which coordinates amongst various functions and strategies, then implements the
same for arriving at results (Ben-Joseph, Lee, Cromley, Laden & Troped, 2013). The
organization has a director with varied departments such as finance, human resource, operations
and marketing. There are staffs and employees within each department for the purpose of
coordinating functionality of their individual departments.
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2.3 Strategy and Organizational Structure
Figure 2: Organization Structure
Stakeholders: Stakeholders are internal and external in nature. While internal stakeholders are
those who are internal and are present within the Organization, external stakeholders primarily
comprises of rating agencies, customers, spectators and so on. Major internal stakeholder of the
organization comprises of State and Federal Government within the country and state (Mitchell
& Thompson, 2013). The Governmental bodies and authorities undertake major decisions
pertaining to the organization and they are the main sources of funding. There are staffs and
employees present who take active role in coordinating amongst various activities for the park.
The participants of the baseball team Melbourne Aces and their management team also comprise
being the internal stakeholders of the Organization.
Competitive Analysis: along with Melbourne Baseball park, there is present a large number of
other parks as well in and around Melbourne area. They comprise of the major competitors for
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Director
Finance Human Resource Marketing Operations

the park as they mostly offer similar facilities compared to the park. Other baseball and softball
parks in the area include Perth Heat, Wanneroo Giants Baseball Club, Holloway Field, Aquatic
Reserve Baseball Park, Moore Park Bat and Ball Oval, Albert Park Baseball Complex,
Blacktown International Sportspark and so on.
Figure 3: Baseball Field Australia
Competitor analysis can be conducted in a multiple number of ways; however it can best
be understood by analysis of power of spectators, suppliers, industry rivalry, threat from new
entrant and substitution power. Below is a depicted a competition analysis for Melbourne
baseball park.
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Figure 4: Competition Analysis
Consumer Profile: Consumer profile primarily comprise of organizers of baseball and softball
events along with spectators. Organizers of the game select a field based on presence of various
facilities and features (Lee, Macfarlane & Cerin, 2013). The spectators also select the park on
basis of presence of basic facilities and features. All these features and facilities are present at the
park and spectators as well as organizers prefer this location for hosting their events.
Staffing/ Human Resources: There comprise of large number of staffs and human resource.
The HR department coordinates and allocates function to each staff and employee for the
organization. The central role of staffs and employees is to manage events, finances, coordinate
operations, conduct marketing, coordinate cleaning and maintenance of the park (Eime, Harvey,
Charity, Casey, Westerbeek & Payne, 2017).
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Competitive
Forces-High
Power of
Suppliers-
High
Threat
from New
Entrant-
Low
Threat
from
Substitute
-Absent
Power of
Spectators
-High

2.4 Marketing
Marketing consists of an important functionality for almost every organization. For the current
baseball park also several marketing activities needs to be conducted in order to attract
organizers of events towards the park.
Positioning: The baseball park is positioned as one of the premier parks for baseball and softball
operations. The current baseball park as compared to other parks of similar nature can be seen
below.
Figure 5: Positioning Map
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Holloway
Field
Vba
Baseball
Ross Straw
Field
Aqautic
Reserve
Baseball
Park
Melbourne
Baseball
Park

Public relations: Due to State and Federal Government being heads of coordinating functions.
The organization is able to maintain good public relations with various organizers of events. The
public relations department of the organization further maintains stable relation with organizers
of events with the organization.
Pricing strategy: The field area is made available at a cost effective rate. The organization
offers competitive costs for hiring the field for various activities at the park.
Merchandise: The Park also offers multiple merchandise for sale to its participants of major
events.
Ticket sales: The Park offers ticket sales at its counter and also through online sources. This
enables regular collection of funds for various events at the location.
Sponsors: The organizers of various events are generally able to get sponsors. Apart from this
there comprise multiple fixed sponsors for various events which are held at the park.
2.5 Programming
Programming of events allows appropriate organization and gathering sufficient funds for
conducting as well as coordinating various activities for the event (Gray, Sekendiz, Norton,
Dietrich, Keyzer, Coyle & Finch, 2016). Programming is taken into account through analysis of
customer type, space against activities, bookings and evaluation of tenant needs.
Customer type: General customer type of the park comprises of organizers of events of baseball
and softball. Due to the location of the park at Victoria, generally the customers prefer to select
the location and conduct their sports activity there.
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