Council excited to open parkour facility

Bondi Beach BAR Brutes at Wetherill Park's parkour facility.

A successful collaboration between Fairfield City Council and a local parkour group is literally resulting in people going off the rails!

Council is excited to officially open a specialist parkour and street-workout training area this weekend at Emerson Street Reserve in Wetherill Park. The facility is the result of Council working with local Parkour practitioners from Team 9 Lives to custom design the training area.

Parkour is a highly athletic, yet spiritual art form. Often recognised for its large jumps and cat-like movements, it involves practitioners moving through their landscapes, using obstacles - ledges, stairs, walls - to create movement. Parkour was featured in movies such as Casino Royale and The Bourne Ultimatum, and it continues to grow in popularity around the world.

Team 9 Lives consists of a core of 22 athletes who hold regular classes that attract up to 200 students a week. They also enthralled the 15,000 people who attended this year's Bring It On! youth festival with a live performance.

Ali Kadhim, who founded Team 9Lives in 2004, started practicing parkour because it allowed him to be free - his only limit was his imagination. Ali and his team continue to make it accessible and safe for anybody to learn.

Team 9Lives worked with Council's Recreation Planner and Landscape Designers to design the fitness park with off-the-shelf, static equipment at Emerson Street Reserve. The facility is already proving very popular, attracting not only plenty of locals, but also professional athletes from around Sydney, such as the Bondi Beach BAR Brutes.

The launch will be on Sunday, 31 August, between 11am and 3pm. Official proceedings will begin at 1pm. The Team is keen to see people of all ages, all fitness levels and all types of sports joining in the action. There will be demonstrations by Bondi Beach Bar Brutes and Team 9Lives on the day. (www.facebook.com/bondibeachbarbrutes - www.facebook.com/team9lives)

For a taste of physical training at Emerson Park Reserve, visit this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/4t7Np90D1pw