LENDING a hand at the local sporting club has become more than just selling pies and drinks at the canteen for Roger Clay; it’s now equivalent to a full-time job.
The president of the Hoppers Crossing Soccer Club has been a member for more than 16 years, and although his passion for local soccer has not wavered, he has grown tired of the amount of work his title demands.
“You’re on call 24 hours a day basically,” said Mr Clay, who also works as a full-time manager.
“Twenty years ago you could open up the club and the bar and people would just come in.
“Now with risk management, strategic planning and budgets it makes the general running of the club much more difficult.”
Hoppers Crossing Soccer Club has suffered financial hardship since moving from Mossfield Reserve to Grange Reserve last year.
The club now owes Wyndham City Council $250,000 plus interest, to be paid over 30 years, for the $3.8 million reserve and community centre.
“The facilities are fantastic and we are not whingeing to council about the loan,” Mr Clay said.
“The issue is what we have to do to pay back the loan.”
Mr Clay said that with only four volunteer committee members, raising revenue had become a major problem.
“There’s so much frustration now as not only are we trying to keep the club running as normal, but now we have to run a profitable business,” he said.
“We are looking at hiring out the centre for functions to get money that way but that also means one of us has to put in more time on the weekends to open up and close the venue for the hirers.”
Club treasurer Martin Kearney said that until the club could open the venue for functions, it would rely on member fees to pay back the loan.
Wyndham CEO Ian Robins said the council covers basic sporting facility costs but sporting clubs are required to pay for any extra facilities they request.
“The soccer club’s additional facilities include a large social room, kitchen and bar facilities, trainer’s rooms and office and media room,” he said.
Mr Robins cited the new Dunnings Rd pavilion in Point Cook as a basic facility provided free of charge by the council.
“The size of the facility is consistent with council policy. No additional features were included in the pavilion, and the club did not request special facilities,” he said.
However, Steve Ward, president of the pavilion’s main tenant, Point Cook Junior Football Club, said the club had outgrown the facility by the time it moved in.
He also sympathised with Mr Clay’s workload.
“It is pretty much a full-time job,” he said.
“In this day and age with insurance and liability covers, everything is more involved.”
Councillor Henry Barlow said he expects the trend for sporting groups to contribute to the cost of their own facilities could continue.
Mr Clay believes this doesn’t help clubs short on volunteers and with debts to pay.
He said sporting clubs would benefit from less council paperwork and faster processing times.
“We just want an understanding from council that we are not in this for ourselves,” he said.
“They get paid for their community work and can turn off their computers at five and go home, whereas we’re on call for free, 24 hours a day.”
