Drysdale Hawks Football Club ‘disappointed’ after gym defaced, facility damaged

A local football club has been left “disappointed” after its gym was vandalised last week, with an individual allegedly throwing a dumbbell at the door.

The Drysdale Football Club community has been left “devastated” after a vandal threw a dumbbell through its gym door and trashed its facility.

A member of the club arrived at the gym on October 1 to find it “trashed”.

It’s believed the incident occurred about midday when a person threw a dumbbell through the wooden door, tipped over the rubbish bin and left the facility in disarray.

Drysdale Football Club senior women’s football director and committee member Jess Case said there had been ongoing issues with the gym being left in a mess.

“The lack of respect is so disappointing,” she said.

“It’s like our little sanctuary.”

“We’ve had some issues with people meeting up there, not actually use to the gym facilities and then trashing it.

“We’ve had weights go missing in the past.”

Drysdale Football Club has been left "disappointed" after its gym was vandalised last week.

Ms Case said support from the Drysdale community following the vandalism had been “incredible” with volunteers offering up their time to clean up the mess.

“We’ve had local builders and cleaners reach out and ask ‘what do you need?’ which has been so special,” she said.

The gym is regularly used by members of the club who are given a code to unlock the door.

It is not known if the vandal is a member of the club or not.

“We know the importance of the gym and how important physical activity is for mental health,” Ms Case said.

“Our members’ mental health is so important to (the club) … it’s more than a gym which is why we are so disappointed.”

Drysdale Hawks senior womens player Caitlin Redmond with the damage cause by vandals at the club’s gym. Picture: Alison Wynd

The club has introduced new safety protocols to prevent future vandalism.

“We’ve put a new lock on the door with a new code and we’ve just installed security cameras,” Ms Case said.

“We want our members to feel safe.”

Earlier this year, the club spent about $3500 to renovate the gym, which was “old and outdated”.

“We redid the flooring, got all new gym equipment and did a massive clean,” Ms Case said.

“Thankfully, none of the equipment was damaged … (but) it’s just awful.”

Originally published as Drysdale Hawks Football Club ‘disappointed’ after gym defaced, facility damaged