Vermont Eagles: Anger over Whitehorse Council parking fine at Vermont Recreation Reserve

An eastern suburbs footy club has lashed out at a council after it fined a player for parking next to their home ground.

Vermont Eagles women's EFL coach Tim Da Silveira received a $305 fine from Whitehorse Council after parking officers spotted his car near a scoreboard and cricket nets at Vermont Recreation Reserve on June 4.

A suburban footy club has lashed out at a council for issuing a “ridiculous” fine after a player parked near the ground’s boundary next to a jam-packed carpark.

Vermont Eagles’ women's EFL coach Tim Da Silveira received a $305 fine from Whitehorse Council after parking officers spotted his car near a scoreboard and cricket nets at Vermont Recreation Reserve on June 4.

Mr Da Silveira wasn’t coaching on the day and had lent his car to a player to use, who parked it on some grass off a gravel track.

He received the fine in the mail on June 20, and thought the council had accidentally “caught someone in a disabled spot and mistaken it”.

The reserve’s carpark is normally at capacity on match days and the area had been used by some to try and avoid a larger bank up of cars parked along Terrara Rd.

“The reason we park there is to stop all the cars going on the street,” Mr Da Silveira said.

“Parking is minimal as it is, we get as many as we can in ever since I’ve been involved, and there’s no signs up saying there’s no parking there.

“(To be fined) for parking on the fence at the footy, which happens at every suburban and country footy ground every Saturday, I shake my head in disbelief.”

Mr Di Silveira claimed up to five other players from Vermont and South Croydon football clubs were also fined for parking in the same area on the day.

The council warned the club about only parking in “designated parking areas” in an email — seen by Leader — sent on May 27.

It also warned of local officers returning to the area in weeks ahead and potentially issuing fines.

Vermont Eagles manager Lee Bidstrup has been outraged by Whitehorse Council fining a player for parking on the side of Vermont Recreation Reserve. File picture.

Club manager Lee Bidstrup said the area had been used for parking by visitors for decades before cricket nets were installed last summer, taking away about 20 spaces.

“We’ve never had anyone fined inside the reserve for parking in about 60 years, and there’s nothing there saying people can’t park there” he said.

“The place is jammed full of cars on a Saturday with the women coming and going, same with the juniors on Sunday, people trying to get in and get out … people are just parking where they can park.

“It’s impossible for the club to try and patrol any area to stop people going and parking somewhere they shouldn’t.”

Mr Bidstrup said the club was following up the matter with the council, while Mr Da Silveira said he would appeal the fine personally if it wasn’t overturned.

The council’s director of city development, Jeff Green, said the council raised its parking issues with the club after noticing a “significant number” of cars parked in the grassed area on a previous patrol.

He said officers regularly patrolled the reserve, Box Hill City Oval and Mahoney’s Reserve in Forest Hill to ensure drivers complied.

“Carparking bays are designed for safe movement of cars around pedestrians … parking on grass and garden beds and blocking paths is illegal and causes significant damage which is costly to repair,” Mr Green said.

“We work closely with our sporting clubs to ensure they understand these rules.”

Mr Green said the $305 fine was the correct figure under local laws for anyone found parking in a non-designated area, and anyone who received an infringement had the right to appeal for an internal review.