The Lord Mayor pledged in March 2010 at Alexandria Town Hall that the City of Sydney Council was committed to a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the facility at Perry Park in the Alexandria suburb of Sydney.

She also reiterated the need for the planned facility in an August 2011 statement, which read: "There is a huge demand for sporting facilities with more than 200,000 people a year expected to use the courts after they open in 2014.

"At the moment demand exceeds availability and existing community groups compete for limited facilities in local school halls or are forced to travel outside the area"

Moore also spoke of how the indoor and outdoor facility would benefit an up-and-coming community, which is set to expand rapidly in the coming years.

Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore has backtracked on her promise to re-develop the sports facility at Perry Park in Alexandria, home of the City of Sydney Basketball Association

"The Green Square development is forecast to have 50,000 more residents by 2031, which will further increase demand.

"The location, 500 metres from Green Square station and next to the Bourke Street cycleway, positions the park perfectly to cater for future community needs."

But the Lord Mayor has now postponed the redevelopment indefinitely, despite promising that construction on the facility would begin this year.

Basketball Australia chief executive Kristina Keneally has been a driving force behind the backlash and accused Moore of attempting to sweep the issue under the carpet to avoid criticism.

"The Comets were told that the new stadium, which the Lord Mayor promised would begin construction this year, will now be pushed off beyond the Council's 10-year infrastructure plan," she said.

"Frankly, I am surprised and disappointed by the Lord Mayor and the City of Sydney.

"Grandstanding promises followed by clandestine retreat is kind of cynical political behaviour Clover claims to have always opposed in her elected career.

"Clover Moore hopes no one will notice that she has ditched an iron-clad, written commitment given in 2011 to build a new recreational facility, with six indoor multi-purpose courts and an outdoor multi-purpose synthetic field,"

Basketball Australia chief executive Kristina Keneally has been a driving force behind the campaign against the decision to scrap the redevelopment plans

"Let me assure the Lord Mayor that the 2,000 members of the City of Sydney Comets Basketball Association notice, that Basketball New South Wales notices, and that Basketball Australia notices – and we are going to make sure as many people as possible are aware of this broken promise."

The current facility has just two courts and there have been calls for a redevelopment for over two decades, but there looks to be no change on the horizon following the controversial decision to reverse the decision.

And the citizens of Alexandria are suffering because of the lack of basic sports facilities, according to Keneally.

"Everyone plays the sports - including basketball - that this stadium would support," she said.

"The City of Sydney Comets Basketball Association boasts kids and young adults, indigenous teams, inner city public housing residents, and gay and lesbian teams.

"You add to that the tens of thousands of new residents coming into Alexandria via the Green Square development, and you can see that the City of Sydney is woefully under-serviced: Perry Park's existing two courts are all the City has in its entire area."

But the City of Sydney Comets are hoping to fight back, after they launched a petition - which is gathering pace thanks to media coverage and social media- demanding the reinstatement of the funding for the Perry Park facility.

"Comets President Andrew Lazaris and his team have already started a Facebook page and a petition, and they will make sure every one of their 2000 members know about the Lord Mayor's backflip." said Keneally, who has also been supporting the cause and promoting the petition via social media.

"They are also fronting up to the City of Sydney Council Finance Committee on 17 June, and lobbying individual councillors to get this project back on track."

To sign the petition, click here.

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