Toilet ‘disgrace’

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
SPORTING facilities at Seville have been declared a “disgrace” with male and female athletes and their supporters forced to share change rooms and toilets.
Club players and administrators are fed up and have banded together to lobby the Shire of Yarra Ranges to update the ageing clubrooms.
They want a complete overhaul and say they won’t settle for “band-aid” solutions. The grounds and change room facilities are currently being shared between male and female football, netball, tennis and cricket teams.
Five inside toilets are shared between home and away teams and supporters.
Home players don’t have showers available to them after matches.
The conditions off-ground are so serious the league, players and ground management have joined together to influence the Yarra Ranges Council master plan for the grounds.
Mick Shore, development liaison for the master plan, said council could easily shuffle money to fix the lighting and tack on an extra room.
“But it’s no good putting a band-aid on everything in the complex,” he said.
Mr Shore said the existing structure was built in 1973 by community volunteers, and was no longer suitable as a main structure. He said the council controlled the ground but it appeared unwilling to commit the funds to make Seville a premier ground.
“We want to get the community more involved, and be proud to come down for Friday night football and enjoy the game in their home ground,” Mr Shore said.
President of the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League Stephen Walter said the current grounds were “a disgrace” and that it was time Seville was upgraded to a premier venue.
“Seville has got all their sport in one good location and it makes sense to partner with them and invest in this community.”
Mr Walter said if a new building included YVMDFL offices, he would be happy to act as full-time caretaker.
Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe invited Shadow Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs Hugh Delahunty to Seville last week. Mr Delahunty said the poor facilities were a “major barrier” preventing locals accessing sport.
“We want a partnership between the shire, league, state and community to get funding together for what could be a multi-use facility,” she said.
Phil Behre, president of Seville Ranges girls’ football, got the ball rolling when his daughter wanted to keep playing past the age of 14, which required her to join a girls only team.
“We’re bringing girls’ football to the valley, which is a great thing. This way, families can stay together whatever the kids want to do. Our problem is the girls have no facilities,” he said.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Len Cox said he and council CEO Glenn Patterson met with Ms Fyffe last week.
“The council is aware of the sporting club’s desire to upgrade the facilities and has already begun the process of developing a master plan for its development in conjunction with the reserve’s users,” he said.
Mr Cox said council had appointed consultants to oversee the project and had already had a workshop with user groups, including the State Government, which owned part of the reserve.