DOUBTS have arisen whether Cairnlea Football Club, formerly Albion Rovers Soccer Club, will pay $100,000 towards the construction of the club’s facilities at Cairnlea Park.
A Brimbank City Council meeting last year saw an agreement between the club and council being made with the club to lease the Cairnlea premises for nearly 10 years, given it contributes $100,000 towards the development of the facility.
But at a recent council briefing meeting, as revealed to Star by some councillors, it appears the agreement is hanging in the air because “no agreements had been signed” and the matter is still to be finalised.
Councillor Troy Atanasovski told Star the payment towards the facilities had been waived during the briefing meeting.
“There was a bit of a grudge to why some people pay and some don’t, so then we said we’d scrap it,” Cr Atanasovski said.
But, Councillor Sam David said the matter was still before council.
Mayor Margaret Giudice said council was awaiting “some clarification” before any leases were signed.
“The lease has not been signed as far as I know,” she said.
“If it gets signed that means that the negotiation will then include or not include that ($100,000),” Cr Giudice said.
Cairnlea Football Club president Beige Hussein told Star he was unaware of any agreement changes.
However, he said the club would be contributing with money.
Cairnlea resident Anna Muszak, who took the council to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal over the issue of releasing information about the then called Albion Rovers Soccer Club’s relocation to Cairnlea, said council should overturn its previous lease decision and provide an expressions of interest process to permit any clubs within Brimbank to use the sports facilities at Cairnlea.
“The fact that no agreements between Brimbank Council and the Albion Rovers Soccer Club have been signed to date, and they will no longer contribute funds as agreed as well as changed terms and conditions, the original proposal of offer and acceptance is now void,” Ms Muszak said.
Albion Rovers Soccer Club played at the Green Gully Reserve under a seasonal licence agreement.
Last year’s council report showed that the additional cost for changing and shower facilities, coaches’ boxes and car parking would jump from $906,750 to more than $1 million.
Should Mr Hussein’s players relocate to Cairnlea, it would mean that council would have to shell out $798,750 for the project.
The club, which plays in the State League Division Three, would need improved facilities at the park site, including perimeter fencing, scoreboards and referee rooms.
