North Sydney PCYC Club: Members rally for club’s future amid fears of closure

A fight is underway to save one of Sydney’s long-running PCYC clubs as the organisation responds to concerns it is planning to sell off the site for redevelopment.

The club has operated for seven decades.

A fight is underway to save one of Sydney’s long-running PCYC clubs with fears the centre could be sold off for development.

Volunteers members of the North Sydney PCYC are calling for certainty over the future of the Falcon St centre as speculation mounts the centre could be closed down after seven decades of operation.

The uncertainty has been fuelled by a ‘town hall meeting’ convened by NSW PCYC officials where it is understood the future of the site will be discussed with volunteer members.

Members say the meeting, due to be held this Thursday, follows previous unsuccessful attempts by the PCYC to redevelop the site.

The club was founded back in 1953 and currently has a membership base of 1500 young people engaging in programs ranging from gymnastics to boxing to learn-to-drive programs.

The club has about 1500 members.

PCYC NSW interim chief executive Craig Becroft has confirmed the organisation is considering selling the site – potentially to the NSW Government.

It is understood the sale could accommodate state government plans to establish a new NSW Ambulance station on the lower north shore.

The PCYC offers a range of programs including fitness.

Long-term PCYC member David Storey said the closure of the site would impact about hundreds of members including at-risk youths.

“If it’s closed it would be devastating – the closest PCYC clubs to North Sydney are in Dee Why or Marsden Park and for a lot of young people travelling that far is just not feasible,” he said.

Mr Storey – who has been a member of the club since he was 14 years old and now runs youth boxing programs at the site – said there was a growing need for the centre’s programs in the local area.

“The proclamation from PCYC is that the north shore doesn’t need a PCYC because we’re an affluent area and their resources would be better allocated to western Sydney,” he said.

David Storey, middle, pictured with fellow club members at North Sydney PCYC

“It’s completely not the case – I’ve been going there since 1997 and I’ve seen first-hand the huge impact it has on the welfare of young people in our community. It offers services for at-risk youth and it’s a social gathering place for a huge number of people.

“It becomes a way of engaging with youth and gives them a sense of empowerment.”

PCYC NSW’s interim chief executive Craig Becroft said the organisation was planning to make a submission to Lane Cove Council regarding a management contract for the new Lane Cove Sport and Recreational Centre which is currently under construction and due open in 2025

Mr Becroft said Thursday’s meeting would involve PCYC officials meeting with staff to “explain our rationale for considering a sale, and our plans to continue a PCYC charitable presence on the lower north shore”.

He said the rationale for the sale was partly driven by operating costs and lack of funding from the NSW Government.

“The pull on PCYC’s limited resources is constant,” he said. “We are regularly approached by communities to establish a PCYC, because the work we do with young people makes a life changing difference. Yet many of our clubs are at least 60 years old, require significant maintenance, and are not fit for purpose.

“It seems PCYC is an organisation that everyone wants, but few are prepared to fund.”

Many of the programs offered at the PCYC club are held in partnership with NSW Police Youth and Crime Prevention command.