Once upon a time the only infrastructure at a local sports ground would have been a concrete pit for the barbecue and, if you were lucky, a basic toilet block.
Well, times have moved on and now most of these grounds, be they for footy, cricket or netball, have all the mod cons and so much more.
Nowdays the toilet block is a small part of an amenities building that includes modern canteen, cool room and large fridges, changing facilities, and in some cases even a conference room.
One of the amenities buildings that constantly amazes me every time I drop in is the Raby Sports Complex, home of our mighty Ghosts cricket club.
Even the scorers have their own room, while just outside it there is a TV screen that shows them updating scores from play out on the field.
There’s practice nets, indoor cricket training facility and much more.
The latest piece of “infrastructure’’ to be installed at Raby is a life saving Automated External Defibrillator or AED.
Automated external defibrillators are miracles of modern technology, automatically assessing whether someone who is having an apparent heart attack is a candidate for a shock, then administering one if needed.
Without appropriate CPR and defibrillation, a patient’s survival rate decreases by 10 percent every minute.
While it is hoped that it is never needed, it will be good to know such a potentially life saving device is on hand at Raby Sports Complex.
Not that heart attacks happen only to older people.
As club secretary Jason Ellsmore says, the defibrillator is for the benefit of all members and visitors.
“I can talk from two personal experiences where an umpire and a player have had heart attacks in the middle of games so you never know,’’ says Jason.
PS. Tomorrow the Ghosts host Eastern Suburbs at Raby in round four of Sydney Premier Cricket.
