Sturt Lions players travelling over an hour for home games

Sporting clubs in one of Adelaide’s top suburbs are so badly lacking space, players are travelling over an hour for training or playing home games at opposition grounds.

Mitcham local sporting clubs are so badly lacking space and facilities their players are travelling over an hour for home games and training.

However, there are concerns it will remain an ongoing problem with the City of Mitcham council’s resources “fully extended”, according to its chief executive officer Matt Pears.

A push from Cr Karen Hockley for the council to liaise with local sporting clubs to create space within the council area failed to win support at a meeting late last month.

Cr Hockley said many clubs did not have access to the space needed to train, play and grow.

“Some of our clubs are playing in locations across the metropolitan area,” she said in her motion.

“Which means that residents in the City of Mitcham are driving many kilometres each week just to play with their local club.”

Currently, senior players at Sturt Lions Football Club are playing home games and training at West Beach Football Centre.

“The distance players need to travel to get to this ground act as a major barrier for younger players, many of whom are still reliant on their family for transport,” a club proposal presented to the council last year stated.

Junior players are also travelling “significant distances” to train at Southern Districts Junior Soccer Association facilities in North Brighton and Seacombe High School for games.

Sturt Lions play home games at West Beach Football Centre. Picture: Adam Butler

Club president John Vander Veeken said the pressure will be eased for senior teams when a new clubhouse and synthetic pitch opens in December at its Karinya Reserve base.

However, with about 650 members, seven senior and about 40 junior teams, growth in numbers has placed “significant strain on infrastructure and playing grounds”, and more grounds will eventually be needed.

“At the moment, nearly all of them (travel long distances),” Mr Vander Veeken said.

“We’re all over the place on a Sunday at multiple sites. There’s just not enough facilities.”

He estimated at least 100 junior players would still have to travel long distances once Karinya was upgraded.

He was also expecting a boom in women’s participation after the Women’s World Cup next year, predicting its existing five teams to at least double.

Facilities at Blackwood Football Club have not kept pace with the surging popularity in women's football. Picture: Blackwood Football Club

Meanwhile, Blackwood Football club president Kris Winchester said he routinely had to reschedule women’s football games at other venues due to a lack of facilities.

“We’ve got 26 teams and one oval,” Mr Winchester said.

“We’re at our max. We’ve completely outgrown our facilities. It’s only going to get worse.”

He said an explosion in women’s footy had also placed the club under increasing strain.

“So far this year we have had to give up four home games and six training sessions for our senior women’s team alone,” he said.

It also had to cancel a second under 15 girls team due to a lack of space.

“We are passed our limit now. The only thing we can do now is not take on anymore players,” Mr Winchester said.

Blackwood Football Club's Zoe Venning made the Under 19 AFLW All Australian team. Picture: Blackwood Football Club

However, Mr Pears said existing staffing resources were currently “fully extended” responding to clubs who have either began or are close to beginning the replacement or upgrading of facilities.

“This is not an ideal situation but will continue unless additional resources are allocated by council,” Mr Pears said in a statement.

“Without additional resources this motion could only be completed by stopping an existing project.”