Fees ‘out of bounds’
KINGBOROUGH’S sporting clubs warn the future of junior and women’s sport is in jeopardy if council starts charging them hourly fees to use their local ovals.
Disgruntled representatives from all 18 affected Kingborough sports clubs met at the Kettering Cricket Club on Wednesday night to discuss the looming prospect of $15 hourly fees.
The proposal was unanimously rejected by the clubs, who say the hourly fees would disproportionately punish small clubs and those wishing to introduce female and junior teams.
Instead they voiced support for a per-season or a perclub flat rate, as is the standard practice of several other Tasmanian councils.
Woodbridge Cricket Club treasurer Andrew Kerr said hourly fees would be a prohibitive cost for clubs wishing to get more people into community sport.
“It’s a very blunt instrument that’s going to disincentivise clubs from expanding their programs, when we should be encouraging community sport,” Mr Kerr said.
“The club provides opportunities
for members of the community to improve both their physical and mental health, and it plays a vital role in the community.”
Dallas Millhouse, president of the Snug Cricket Club and committee member for the Channel Junior Football Club, said he feared the hourly fees would render them financially unviable.
He said the cricket club stood to pay $4000 per season
in hourly rates – more than the cost of a major sponsor. “We’re not against the council charging a fee of some sort, but the way the consultation was handled was terrible,” Mr Millhouse said.
“The structure they want to put in place is just not feasible for our club.”
The meeting was run by deputy mayor candidate Kaspar Deane, who is also vicepresident of Kettering Cricket
Club. Mr Deane said the meeting showed clubs are open to some kind of fees structure but were “understandably aggrieved” about being left out of the process.
“This is a prime example of poor policymaking. Kingborough Council simply need to acknowledge that and go back to the drawing board,” Mr Deane said
Councillor Clare GladeWright, who addressed the
clubs, said council needed to listen to Kingborough’s community sporting clubs.
“Council haven’t provided sufficient consultation on this matter and I believe that the policy that was presented to councillors is going to greatly impact our local sporting clubs,” Ms Glade-Wright said.
Clubs will write to the Kingborough Council to express their concerns and to request a meeting.