Surfside Waves Soccer Club will not endorse the City of Greater Geelong’s Ocean Grove Sporting Infrastructure Plan (OGSIP) until Council provides written proof that the club will be better off.
The plan recommends the club move from its current base at Shell Road sports precinct to a new facility at Oakdene.
However, the club is concerned that a number of requirements it has put forward to Council have not been addressed.
The plan proposes the current soccer pitches be turned into another football ground for use by Ocean Grove Football Netball Club and for the netball precinct to increase from four courts to five.
Surfside Waves initially “verbally” agreed to the proposals, but only if the move saw a “significant improvement” on its current facilities at Shell Road.
“These improvements would need to include two to three pitches with room to grow, extensive storage facilities, industrial kitchen, players and referees rooms, larger car parking and access to overflow pitches in the form of the current Oakdene Oval,” the club said in a statement.
“As such, we have put together a list of our requirements that have been largely promised to us by Council.
“In recent weeks we have been working hard to get Council to agree to these requirements in writing. The reason that this aspect is so important is because there is no ‘Master Plan’ drafted yet for the club and its members to refer to.
“So far SWSC has received an unsigned document detailing the scope of works and including a caveat that we do not need to move to the new facilities until this facility is complete and we, as the club, have ‘signed off’ on it.
“SWSC has requested additions to this document and, as it stands right now, we have not received any.
“These plans are reliant on SWSC agreeing to the move to the new facility. The fact that there is no Master Plan and no signed agreement with SWSC, means that we cannot endorse the current OGSIP.”
Public consultation for the OGSIP, which also includes Arthur Powell Reserve, Collendina Reserve, Wallington Reserve and Memorial Reserve, ended on July 10.
City of Greater Geelong Director of Community Life Robyn Stevens said Council will now consider the community feedback.
“Community feedback is a central and important part of the development of the Ocean Grove Sporting Infrastructure Plan,” she said.
“The draft plan was created with input from 20 local sporting clubs, community organisations and schools. During a six-week engagement period on the draft plan, we received more than 300 pieces of community feedback. We thank everyone who took the time to provide this feedback.
“City staff are now carefully working through and considering all of the feedback before putting a proposed final plan to the Council for endorsement.
“As part of this process, we will continue our discussions with the Surfside Waves about their future needs.”
Ocean Grove Football Netball club president Peter Smith said his club was in favour of the proposals.
“The construction of an additional football oval and netball court at Shell Road Reserve allows us to better cater for the growing participation we are seeing in both football and netball,” he said.
“With enhancements also planned at Memorial Reserve and Minerva Reserve (Collendina Reserve), we will be well placed to manage the growth particularly in our youth teams.
“We will have a facility dedicated purely to football and netball during the winter months which will lead to benefits in areas such as training schedules, volunteer workload and a greater sense of belonging to our members.”
