The home of the Campbelltown Ghosts Baseball Club is the Woodland Road Baseball Complex.
‘Woodlands’ (as it is known around the Macarthur Baseball League (MBL)) is found at the corner of Woodland and Karrabul Roads, St Helens Park, just a short drive from Appin Road.
The complex features one main Seniors diamond and capacity for up to eight Junior diamond configurations. It is floodlit and used for games across the week as well as training. Woodlands also has one of the best canteen and change facilities available in the MBL.
The facility is owned by Campbelltown City Council with Ghosts the ‘head’ user of the grounds. For enquiries about ground usage, send us an email.
HISTORY OF WOODLANDS
The present site of Woodlands had been a garbage dump through the 1970s. When this reached capacity toward the end of the decade, it was capped and converted into playing fields by Council.
The Club took up residence at the new grounds late in 1980 and set to work creating a suitable baseball diamond. One of the first things completed was the installation of the still-existing lighting towers.
The first ‘night’ game took place in 1981. Also during that year, Council moved an old weatherboard house to Woodlands and sold it to the Club for $1. The ‘clubhouse’ was used for the next 20 years for a variety of Club purposes including its canteen.
After a few years and with the Club expanding, Council levelled the area which now forms the ‘top’ diamonds at Woodlands. The area was left bare and was full of rocks (which junior teams gradually removed after each training run!) so took another 18 months to be ready for play.
By this time, new housing had started to surround the ‘top’ area and while the diamonds were now suitable for all grades, their use was soon limited to junior teams only thanks to the proximity of neighbouring roofs.
In 1990, the inevitable consequence of being built on a former garbage dump meant underground subsidence had affected the main diamond. The ground was closed for 18 months and re-levelled – the only time in the site’s history that this has occurred.
It wasn’t until 2010 that the complex received its next major work. In that year, Council built the current amenities building complete with designated canteen and changerooms. The faithful old weatherboard ‘clubhouse’ was demolished to make way for today’s car parking area.
In 2016 the building was extended, adding about a third of its previous size with improved male and female facilities and grounds storage. The following year an automated irrigation system was installed on the ‘top’ diamonds, funded by a NSW Government grant.
During 2020, electricity supply was extended to the Scorer’s Shed and both dugouts, providing light to the officials and teams competing in night games.
Spectator comfort received a boost at the end of 2022 when 18 shade trees were planted throughout the complex in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's 70th year of reign courtesy of a Federal Government grant.
In 2023, Woodlands became the only ground in the MBL to be able to fly the National and other important flags with the installation of four poles, again funded by the Federal Government.
Woodlands is now a premier ground of the MBL and with more improvements planned, the years of hard work and effort given by members past and present to convert this former tip have certainly been well rewarded.