Melbourne council threatening local cricket club with sky-high costs over juniors

A Melbourne council is threatening a local cricket club with potentially crippling fees if it can’t raise junior teams lost over the COVID period.

Glenroy players walk off the field. Picture: Julian Smith

Calling all interested juniors.

Glenroy Cricket Club’s immediate future depends on securing enough young talent to field at least one junior team this season.

The Roys have been threatened by Moreland City Council with what would be financially crippling fees if the club can’t field juniors.

Council could impose casual rates on Glenroy’s home ground Sewell Reserve — as much as $300 an hour — for any training or gameday use.

The club had two junior teams last season, a pair of under-14s in the North West Metro Cricket Association, but lost the majority of players.

Following the departure of the club’s junior co-ordinators and the difficulties caused by COVID, the club is struggling to find new players.

“We’re trying to get juniors of all ages — eight to 17-18 — we’re trying to get at least one junior side but as many as we can,” Glenroy president Shannon Ryan said.

“We’ve been advertising on our Facebook page and put flyers around but we’re not gaining any traction, we’ve sent flyers to schools but we can’t get into schools and get in front of kids at the moment.

“What’s happening with the council, they’re saying ‘you don’t have a junior team so we’ll charge you a ridiculous amount of money you can’t afford’.

“The guy who was the junior co-ordinator has gone to play district cricket at Melbourne and then one of the other parents has become a president at another cricket club.

“We lost those kids and now we’re looking for new kids — that’s why we are where we are.”

Ryan said the club would run a Woolworths Blast program over the summer and was confident of securing players once restrictions ease but needs time.

“We want juniors as a club, obviously, but if we had a year without them because of what happened and we rebuilt from there, the club wouldn’t fall over,’’ he said.

Lucas Williams celebrates a wicket for Glenroy’s First XI. Picture: Julian Smith

“We’d normally organise a barbecue and a sign-up day but obviously all those traditional ways are gone and we’re left advertising on Facebook.

“We might be in a school newsletter or two but I’m not sure how much those get read.

“I’m sick of sitting at home and I’m sure the kids are as well, if we can give those kids an outlet, come and play cricket, have some fun in the local area, that’s what we want to do.”

Leader Sport contacted Moreland City Council but got no response to questions.

Glenroy fields four senior teams in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association – First, Second and Third XI men’s and First XI women’s.

If the club can’t afford to stay at Sewell Reserve, the club could be forced to withdraw from the entire season.

The council has already stripped the Roys of their secondary ground at Cole Reserve, which they shared with St Andrew’s Pascoe Vale.

Ryan said the cricket club simply can’t afford to pay the casual rates.

“What they do is charge casual rates, which in essence is $300 an hour or something crazy. It’s an amount we can’t afford,” he said.

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“We would usually pay $7000 or $8000 a year and they want to charge us for every hour we train Tuesday night and Thursday night and the game on Saturday goes for eight hours.

“In affect they’re taking the ground away, they won’t say that, they’ll say their charging casual rates, but as a local cricket club we can’t afford that.

“They always say they’re there to help but I rung up and say we’ve lost all our kids … about four or five days later I get a letter from the council threatening to charge casual rates.”

The senior VTCA season is due to start on November 13 with Glenroy ironically scheduled to play at Cole Reserve against St Andrew’s Pascoe Vale.