Ashfield Pirates have clashed with residents while trying to lock in Hammond Park as a home ground for 2106

START-UP football club Ashfield Pirates want to drop anchor at Hammond Park but they have encountered some hearty opposition from local residents.

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THE Ashfield Pirates want to drop anchor at Hammond Park but they have encountered some hearty opposition from local residents.

The new junior football club, which has recruited close to 100 boys and girls in a year, wants to hoist the jolly roger at the Ashfield park to practise three nights a week and play on Saturday mornings in winter.

But local landlubbers packed Ashfield Council’s last meeting, arguing the treasured park should be kept as a green-space asset.

The club has been negotiating with the council for a five-year lease and be allowed to turn one change-room into a canteen.

The council recently installed lights at the park which went down like Davy Jones’s Locker with some residents.

Ashfield Pirates are hoping they can set up a canteen at Hammond Park. Picture: Craig Wilson

Neighbouring resident Bob Honeybrook said he had already objected to the lights and he did not support organised sport taking place there either.

“We’ve had problems in the past with this sort of thing, and parking will be chaos,” he said.

Resident Rina Smith said she had concerns about a canteen being in the park.

“Rats and cockroaches come with a kiosk,” she said.

She was also worried about the noise too, but she also said she feared a decision had already been made on the issue.

“We know that council has gone ahead with lighting, so it feels like it’s inevitable,” she said.
 Pirates president Jean Kouriel sought to allay concerns that changes would attract rowdy grog-swigging louts as their club was for kids aged four to 12.

“If they can kick the ball seven metres they are doing well, so there won’t be beer-drinking louts, or kids kicking balls into neighbouring yards,” he said.

Ashfield Pirates FC President Jean Kouriel.

“I hope this will start a conversation with residents and we can work through this and find a solution.”

Independent councillor Ted Cassidy and Liberal councillor Julie Passas suggested a plan of management for safety issues and possible fencing around the park.

Councillor Monica Wangmann said it was a “Sophie’s choice decision”, with 100 kids or so to benefit on one hand and on the other, Hammond Park being a green-space asset for local residents.

But she said she would not support any proposal with unisex change-rooms.

“We should honour our plan of management and not have a canteen,” she said.

“The Pirates should be given a chance. We should see them in action, but we should not change the change-rooms or add a canteen.”

Ashfield councillors have held off making a definite decision on the Pirates proposal and have voted to notify the local residents of Ashfield and letterbox residents in the immediate proximity.

The Pirates are a new junior football club, which started last year, and already has close to 100 players across 11 teams.

The club has made a booking for 2016 for Hammond Park for Saturday morning games 8am to 12.30pm and for training three nights per week (from 5pm to 7.30pm) during the football season of April 2 to August 27.