Modbury Vista Soccer Club is fielding a female side for the first time in 16 years — but there’s nowhere for the girls to change

AN Adelaide soccer club is fielding its first female soccer team in almost 20 years — but without changing rooms, the players are having to get changed in public areas.

11.9.2014. Ashleigh Thomas, Chelsea Griese, Elle Perry, Kelly Thomas. Modbury Vista Soccer Club is calling for an upgrade to it's council-owned facility which include upgrades for both female and male members. Photo Sam Wundke.

FEMALE soccer players, including teenagers, have nowhere to shower and are getting changed behind a makeshift curtain in a bar area because Modbury Vista Soccer Club has no women’s changeroom.

The women’s team — the first the club has fielded in 16 years — says conflicting schedules meant the side had to get ready in the social rooms with the curtains drawn, while men used the club’s only change room.

Club president Brendan Jackman has called on Tea Tree Gully Council to help fund a “badly-needed” upgrade to the council-owned clubroom at Richardson Reserve.

Mr Jackman said the club needed two change rooms with toilets and showers, plus a smaller room for referees. “It is a hindrance we don’t have female changerooms,” Mr Jackman said.

Player Elle Perry, 24, said changing in the clubrooms was “embarrassing”.

“It’s kinda embarrassing when other clubs come to play against us and we have nothing to offer them,” Perry said.

Mr Jackman said the club would need to start rescheduling matches if it fielded any more teams because there was nowhere for any other players to change.

“If we had another women’s side we would have to reschedule times and we wouldn’t be able to have girls and guys play at the same time because we only have one changeroom.

“This year we had to have an area in the clubroom with curtains up and lock the doors for the women to get changed.”

Mr Jackman made a presentation to a council meeting this month on the proposed upgrade, which included an upgraded kitchen and clubroom expansion.

He said the upgrade was needed immediately as the club wanted to enter under-15 and under-13 women’s sides in the Football Federation SA competition next season.

The Wynn Vale-based club, which has 630 members, has invested about $100,000 in its grounds and is willing to partially fund an upgrade approved by the council.

Councillor Paul Barbaro called on the council to investigate the feasibility of the upgrade and its costs.

“Being affiliated in leagues ... including the Football Federation SA requires minimum standards, and those standards are referee changerooms and a changeroom for women,” he said.

“Council needs to move forward with the times and invest in a facility that is now dated being (more than) 20 years old.”