More than 5,000 people have now signed Back to Belmore's petition supporting the historic venue to be upgraded and redeveloped as a multi-use sporting facility.

The petition, launched in 2005, has ignited a robust debate in the Canterbury-Bankstown District about the future viability of Belmore as a sporting venue.

By yesterday 5,183 local residents had signed the petition, which calls on the State and Federal Governments to allocate funding to make much-needed enhancements to Belmore Sports Ground.

Back to Belmore President Luke Brailey plans to force the Iemma and Howard Governments to debate redevelopment plans for Belmore Sports Ground once the petition reaches 10,000 signatories.

"This is essentially the magic number. Unless we can get at least 10,000 people to convince both the state and federal governments to restore this amazing community facility, the brutal reality is that they won't give the idea the time of day, to the detriment of our community," said Mr Brailey.

"For over two years now, we've knocked on doors, walked the streets of Belmore, attended local sporting fixtures for soccer, rugby league, rugby union and even Aussie rules because at the end of the day, Belmore Sports Ground is a venue that transcends all teams and sporting codes. Back to Belmore is about local sport. We cannot lose sight of that."

Community Relations Manager Joey Moses said the size of the petition showed the strength of support for the historic facility.

"Signatures have been collected by our committee members as well as an army of volunteers that Back to Belmore has recruited on this journey," said Mr Moses.

"If the next generation of sports players don't get the facilities they need to meet their goals and aspirations, their future will be poorer. We cannot let that happen."