THREE Bayswater sports clubs that face losing their grounds are filthy with the Bayswater city council and Bayswater Soccer Club for freezing them out of major plans for Frank Drago Reserve.

The soccer club is keen for the reserve to become the new $25 million home of soccer in WA (Voice, May 24, 2014) and it’s asked the council to commission a masterplan.

Soccer club member Greg D’Orazio told the council the plan would “include taking over the lawn bowls, croquet, and tennis clubs to ensure we had the ground space to development [sic] a state of the art soccer facility with the support of Football West and the state government.

“…this would include taking over the lawn bowls (or part of), taking over the croquet and two courts of the tennis club.”

Trouble is, no-one asked the other clubs what they thought about the plan. We can tell you they’re none too happy.

“We are the only croquet club in the city and this expansion by the soccer club is of serious concern,” croquet club president Jacquie Ashby told the council after reading Mr D’Orazio’s letter. “Why weren’t we informed about their intentions?”

Following lengthy debate the council agreed to add a specific clause to include input from all four clubs in the development of the $60,000 masterplan.

“This master plan has been triggered by a letter from the soccer club and we haven’t even asked the other clubs to deputise or what they think?” Cr Barry McKenna fumed in disbelief.

“We need to protect them. We can’t be foolhardy and allow the soccer club to just take over the reserve—we are here to represent all clubs’ interests.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK