Sports facilities for women are inadequate while some infrastructure is a clear “occupational health and safety risk”, four local sports clubs have told Brimbank council.
In submissions to the council’s updated Sports Facility Development Plan, Albion Football Club, Deer Park football and cricket clubs and Keilor Wolves Soccer Club said the growth of their sports for females was being hampered by a lack of facilities.
Albion Football Club, which said its kitchen was an “OH&S issue”, believes it has “inadequate facilities to host a junior female team”.
Club president Gavan Taylor said the under-15 girls team, which he coaches, lacked a separate oval.
Deer Park said its desire to develop senior and junior female teams to bolster female membership was being thwarted by sub-standard facilities.
Keilor Wolves submitted: “Brimbank City Council currently has only one female National Premier League team competing in the Football Federation Victoria competition. With an extra pitch allocated … they would have the required facilities to host another female NPL club.”
The Wolves also said their pitch at Green Gully Reserve was substandard.
Their submission seeking year-round access was knocked back by the council.
Meanwhile, Keilor cricket and football club community liaison officer and Brimbank council candidate Virginia Tachos said she believed sports facilities were “slowly improving”.
“The rollouts are happening in a staggered way,” she said.
“Moving around the Brimbank area with cricket and football, you see the range of facilities or lack thereof, especially for females.”
Ms Tachos said an upgrade at Keilor Sports Club two years ago had improved on “Third World”-standard facilities.
Sunshine Cricket Club said synthetic cricket training nets at Dempster Park were an “OH&S risk” and should be upgraded.
Brimbank council said the nets would be upgraded next financial year, and it had invested more than $23 million in sports facilities since 2012.
