Dandenong Little Athletics Club says its future has been jeopardised ever since a “biased” council report’s findings in 2019.
DLAC president David Daff attended a Greater Dandenong Council meeting on Tuesday 10 June to contest a proposed $100,000 masterplan that would weigh up whether to close the 53-year-old club’s facilities at Robert Booth Reserve.
During public question time, Daff stated the club was never consulted in 2019 on a report that recommended its amalgamation and relocation to Ross Reserve in Noble Park.
He denies the council’s claim that workshops were conducted with all City of Greater Dandenong athletics clubs.
“I have so many issues with the whole report, which is extra biased,” Daff later told Star News.
“They spoke to us, I would not call it consultation. They asked the things we would like to see and the changes but reframed it in such a way to make everything look negative.
“Every comment we made they spinned it to make it favourable to close the facility down.
“Regardless of what the history has been, we look towards continuing to be working with local community, multiple ethnic backgrounds, age groups, and gender diverse groups.
“We are the easiest physical activity for kids to get involved in because there are no pre-requisites.
“Everyone get a go because they get to make improvements – we have a personal-best system and everyone has equal opportunity of improving themselves.”
As a result of the 2019 report, the council decided to invest in Ross Reserve, base Springvale and Dandenong athletics clubs there and to use Robert Booth Reserve for something else.
An assessment was carried out by Sporteng in 2024 which identified “substantial deficiencies” at the Robert Booth facility, requiring “remedial actions” and upgrades.
The report also identified drainage issues with the grass track.
Mr Daff argues that the local club’s facilities were unfairly measured against a world and adult standard which weren’t applicable to little athletics.
Council’s executive director community strengthening Peta Gillies and mayor Jim Memeti acknowledged the Dandenong Little Athletics Club’s impact on the community and willingness to work together with the club “at the table”.
Despite this, ward councillor Rhonda Garad – who supports the club remaining at Robert Booth – says the council has been “hell bent” to get rid of the club.
“They’re speaking out of the two-sides of their mouth.
“On the surface they say we support the club but in practise they are doing everything they can to stop this.
“I have been fighting this since before the (October 2024) elections and still they are going ahead of this strategy.
“The club needs to be doing sports, not wasting their time and energy fighting council.
“The club will fight back twice as hard, so I don’t know why they just don’t stop reassess and change the strategy?
“Its bloody-minded bureaucracy.”
Cr Garad calls it “death by thousand cuts” to force the club to move.
She says there is no drainage issue at the club, they just require an inexpensive machine pump which the council has refused, to remedy the puddles pooling on the fields when it rains.
The sprinkler system for the fields don’t work as well and there’s been no signs from council to fix that.
Instead the children, parents and the club staff have bucket watered the field over the past season.
The club is a tenant at the reserve, paying rent to the council, as well as paying electricity bills for lighting (including the car parks lights).
Councillor Garad says the club is “too scared” of being kicked out to complain about the council’s “negligence” over a long time.
The club remains hopeful and looks forward to having discussions with the council to maintain serving the community at its current location.
