Safety fears for Ivanhoe Netball Club after drunk invader

Teenage netball players have been left too scared to train at a centre in West Heidelberg after a drunk man came onto the court and harassed them. Their club hasn't had a place to call home for the past 10 years, and now there’s a call for action.

Ivanhoe Netball Club players outside the East Ivanhoe Bowling Club, which they hope to set up a home base. Picture: Mark Dadswell

The Ivanhoe Netball Club is desperate to find a home base after teenage players were harassed at a training session at the Olympic Leisure Centre in West Heidelberg.

The club hires local venues to train in as it has no home base, having been excluded from the Ivanhoe Park Sport Precinct Plan, despite having the largest female participation of all sports clubs in the area.

Its teams for 18 and 19-year-olds were training at the Olympic Leisure Centre on June 5 when an intoxicated man entered the court, harassing the players.

Club president Sue Cole said a number of the girls were traumatised and now too scared to train in the venue.

“This is not a challenge that any of the male clubs within our area face as all their clubs have been assisted in gaining their own safe and secure training venues,” Ms Cole said.

The club now only trains at Nets Stadium Banyule in Macleod and Seddon Reserve in Ivanhoe, no longer using Olympic Leisure Centre.

“It’s simply embarrassing as a community that we still don’t have a home for more than 250 players,” Ms Cole said.

The netball club is pushing for inclusion in the Ivanhoe Park Sport Precinct Plan, accessing the area and clubhouse housing the East Ivanhoe Bowling Club, which is looking into a possible merger with the Ivanhoe Bowls Club.

It has been reported the East Ivanhoe facility could become a mult-sports complex.

Neither East Ivanhoe or Ivanhoe bowls clubs would comment to the Leader on possible merger plans as discussions were in the early stages.

Ivanhoe State Labor MP Anthony Carbines urged Banyule Council to consider Ivanhoe Netball Club’s need for a home as a priority.

He also encouraged security measures for staff at the Olympic Leisure Centre.

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Banyule Mayor Wayne Phillips said the council was working with the netball club to find a suitable home ground to accommodate its current and future needs.

“The safety of our community is paramount to council and we are investigating this incident with the Heidelberg police. We will continue to monitor security for the benefit of staff and customers,” Cr Phillips said.

Heidelberg and Greensborough police told the Leader they had no record of attending an incident at the Olympic Leisure Centre.