Shepparton, Bendigo and other sporting clubs in region start the long road to repair after floods

After two years battling Covid and a loss of income, country sporting clubs now have a new enemy at the doorstep as flood waters threaten their survival.

Flood-hit country sports clubs could face bills of more than $100,000 to fix clubrooms and ovals as the full impact of the crisis worsens.

After surviving two years of interrupted seasons through Covid, many clubs are now dealing with another costly emergency.

The Shepparton Swans, former junior club of AFL players Josh Rachelle and Jarman Impey, have been one of the worst hit with the clubroom and oval completed submerged.

The Swans, located adjacent to the Goulburn River, are the only football club in Shepparton to have been flooded.

A drone view of the Shepparton Swans football clubrooms after the floods. Picture: Ty Sutherland.

Club president Jarrod Sutherland said this was the worst the club had been impacted by a flood since 1974 and the damage is extensive.

“It’s disappointing to see the clubrooms this way,” he said.

“We won’t know (the damage) until it recedes but our building is timber floors, which has probably bent and buckled and the plaster walls will need looking at.

“The carpet will be knackered.

“We’ve got a lot of things we’ve accumulated (and took away) but deep fryers and that sort of stuff is plumbed in so we had to leave it.

“There are dishwashers in the kitchen and ovens and also cool room compressors, it will cost a bit of coin to repair and replace.”

Sutherland said the club would need external support to pay the damage bill.

“We hope we might get assistance from the council but the council is going to have a lot of other places need help,” he said.

“Once we fix everything and maybe replace it brand new, it could be in the 100s or 200s (thousand).”

The club has already had plenty of support after setting up a GoFundMe page looking for donations.

Generous donors have already committed more than half of the targeted $30,000 the club needs.

“It’s pretty good to see the support we are getting,” Sutherland said.

“Everyone chips in and it helps.

“We’ve had people donate even $5 or $10 and that just helps.

“We are grateful for everyone who has donated, really been happy with the support.”

You can donate here.

Sutherland said he hoped the flooding of the club can lead to the club rooms being raised higher in the future.

The club has been calling for it for years and was looking at ways to pay for it.

A drone view of the Shepparton Swans football club after the floods. Picture: Ty Sutherland.

But it never eventuated.

“We’ve been pushing for some time to get new rooms put down there, if it happened we needed to be above a certain height (to prevent flooding).

“We’ve been in consultation with council.

“We’ve got quite a few user groups (using Princes Park) and are working hard as a collective to get this happen.

“We’re hoping this might highlight it is required and needed.”

Clubs yet to find out what has happened

Across on the other side of the swollen Goulburn River, Mooroopna Football Club president Bill Dowling said it would be an anxious to see what damage has hit his club.

On Sunday the club ground was used as an area for sandbagging before authorities were forced to move to another area as flood waters got higher.

On Monday the club was under water.

“I’d love to be able to tell you but our ground is flooded and our clubrooms look to be flooded,” Dowling said.

“I haven’t been able to get down there.

Dowling said the focus wasn’t on the club right now but as there were more pressing needs.

“So many people are isolated in their houses to go anywhere,” he said.

“A lot of members, footballers and netballers will need our support first before we look at the clubrooms.

“We won’t be able to (inspect the club) until the floods recede, it depends on how long is it going to take for it to go away.

“The water has to disappear first.”

Murchison-Toolamba is in a similar situation with the club unable to assess the damage to their club after residents were told to leave the town over the weekend.

Avoca’s flood plains save them from further damage

Avoca Football Club president Bill Drummond said his club’s preparedness saved them from substantial damage. The club had implemented a major redesign following the 2011 floods and that investment had paid dividends.

The club, along with others in the Maryborough Castlemaine and District Football League, including Carisbrook, were impacted by the last week’s floods south of Bendigo.

Drummond said the sandbagging and designs at the club following the 2011 floods helped the flood waters stay away, but there was minimal damage.

“We lost most of the perimeter fence, lost 200m to 300m fence at the oval,” Drummond said.

“Airconditioning vents, carpets and other things did get damaged.”

The club last weekend held a working bee to sort out the initial removal of water and mud from the area.

“There’s debris everywhere and a lot of work needs to be done,” Drummond said.

Bendigo also counting the costs

Loddon Valley Football League clubs Newbridge, Marong and Bears Lagoon Serpentine will all have to fix their ovals after their clubs were damaged from the floods.

Newbridge was the worst hit with their clubrooms inundated with water.

A working bee was held there on Sunday to start repairing the damage to the football and netball clubs.

Marong had a working bee the day before to fix the damage to their club.

In Bendigo, Strathfieldsaye Storm’s ovals were inundated by water but their clubrooms survived the brunt of the floods.

Just the oval and carpark, which was used for sandbagging, were damaged in the floods.

“We’re pretty good it just flooded our ovals a bit, junior more than senior,” Strathfieldsaye president Rod Barty said.

“The main impact for us was CFA using the car park and sandbagging the car park for the houses around.

“It was a bit heartwarming to see the community rally to help.”

The Storm will now work with the cricket club, which also uses the facilities, to help prepare them for the cricket season.

The new season has been delayed a few weeks due to the floods.

AFL provide assistance

AFL Victoria has said all clubs impacted by the floods can access $5000 from the AFL to help in their recovery.

The association said it was monitoring the situation in the area and will work with clubs to make sure all can bounce back to playing next year.

More assistance, on top of the initial cash payment, is likely.

“We know how important local sporting facilities are in local communities and will provide support to ensure we get local football clubs back into operation as quickly as possible,” a statement from AFL Victoria said.

“While many volunteers are still caught up with responding to the floods and the damage caused, affected community clubs can access initial immediate assistance grants of up to $5,000 to deal with emergency support.

“AFL Victoria is in the process of making contact with all impacted clubs and are encouraging clubs to make contact through AFL regional offices.

“As the floodwaters subside, AFL Victoria will continue to work with local clubs and leagues on an appropriate response and direct support to where it’s needed most over and above any immediate assistance clubs have accessed.”

Originally published as Shepparton, Bendigo and other sporting clubs in region start the long road to repair after floods