Perth Voice Interactive

ONE of Perth’s biggest water polo clubs says its 60-year association with Beatty Park is under threat because a Vincent council revamp of its playing pool has left it too shallow to host official games. 

Triton Water Polo Club president Glenn Townsend says the “debacle” also affects a second water polo team and the West Coast Splash synchronised swimming club, which co-signed a letter from Water Polo WA to sports minister David Templeman seeking help.

Mr Townsend says the council retiled the pool 10 years ago, but while the originals had lasted since Beatty Park opened for the Empire Games 50 years earlier, the new tiles started to “pop” off within a decade and the pool developed a leak between the original concrete slab and the 10-year-old one. 

When a swimmer was left bleeding from a broken tile the council decided to close the pool and replace them.

To repair the leak between the slabs, Vincent proposed a third pour which would result in the depth being reduced to 1.72 metres at the two goal ends. 

Despite increasingly frustrated correspondence from the Tritons that it didn’t meet the depth requirements set by World Aquatics, the council forged ahead saying it believed there’d be “sufficient” depth to play water polo. 

Mr Townsend says Water Polo WA disagreed.

“We’ve had Water Polo WA involved once we ran into troubles, and they have said they still didn’t believe it,” he said.

“And now Water Polo WA have not put this pool down for games.”

Mr Townsend said there were complaints at the Paris Olympics that the main pool used for the water polo finals was only 2.1 metres deep, giving some of the taller athletes an advantage by being able to push off the floor.

He says that will pale next to Beatty Park, where they’ll literally be standing with their head and shoulders out of the water.

Mr Townsend says the shallowness is compounded by the fact the council extended it further out from the goals where the main action occurs in a game. 

He’s concerned a player treading water while lining up for a goal will injure themselves by kicking the step it has created.

The next is straight out of  John Clarke comedy The Games.

Existing anchor points for the water polo goals were removed and overlooked during the retiling. But that wouldn’t really matter because the ropes that connect them were inadvertently thrown out. 

“I guess they didn’t know what they were,” Mr Townsend said.

Vincent then offered to install coloured tiles along the side of the pool which are used to delineate off-side areas in the game, but that got stuffed up, too.

“They measured it from the back of the wall, not from the goal,” Mr Townsend said.

“All measurements are from the field, not outside the field. How hard is it?”

The latest drama the club faced was turning up a month ago to discover the council had cordoned off part of the heritage-listed stand that overlooks the pool, blocking access to the clubrooms Mr Townsend said took five years of negotiation to win.

The club had also paid for and built a viewing platform with a barbecue on the stand which was an important place for parents to watch their “flippers” play and train while enjoying a drink and a chat.

Mr Townsend says after enduring the closure during the retiling, they’d lost a number of junior players, and he’s deeply worried whether parents will stick around for a shallow pool without a viewing platform.

He says they’ve had a good relationship with Trinity College which also has a suitable pool, but it’s only available for juniors after 6.30pm on weeknights, which he says is too late and likely to lead to more kids leaving.

It would be a bitter blow for the Tritons, who’ve been a breeding ground for Olympians, including Genevieve Longman who’s late cameo to save two penalties as a substitute goalkeeper were a key in helping the Australian Stingers to a silver in Paris earlier this month.

The Tritons have suggested the council reinstall the pool’s side walls, which were removed during the revamp 10 years ago, so the water level can be raised, but Mr Townsend says the response is always that the council doesn’t have anything left in the budget.

Vincent CEO David MacLennan said the council was aware some players had been impacted by the reduced depth of the pool, and while no injuries had been reported he urged players to take “extra caution”.

He said over the past 12 years, the tiles started to delaminate and became unsafe.

Delaminate

“The initial project scope was to maintain the 1.8m depth of the pool,” Mr MacLennan said.

“After the removal of the old tiles and surface screed in late October 2023, we consulted an engineer who informed us that a 100mm concrete cover was required to ensure ongoing integrity of the pool.

“It was then determined that a pool depth of 1.8m would require an entire new build due to pipework limitations and would cause a significant delay in works.

“The City of Vincent agreed to continue with the retiling works following engineering advice and design changes to allow for an overall coverage reduction of up to 50mm, with 1.72m pool depth, resulting around the perimeter of the pool.

“Pool depth exceeding 1.8m is achieved across a substantial section of the pool.

“The 30m pool is not a ‘dedicated’ pool for water polo, as it also accommodates swimming lessons by both Beatty Park Swim School and the Education Department, synchronised swimming, swim clubs, school and casual swimming.”

While noting there was a shortage of deep water in Perth that met governing body FINA’s requirements, he said the Tritons had been able to continue using the pool for training and lower level matches.

Mr MacLennan said the City was working with the club to update the anchor points and would review the coloured tiles to see if any changes were required.

The City would also look into possible short and long-term options that benefitted Beatty Park users, were cost-effective and minimised pool closures.

“If a cost-effective solution can be found that minimises downtime for other user groups and the public, we will consider it.”

Mr MacLennan said an inspection by its inspectors found that window putty in the grandstand containing asbestos had deteriorated, and access had to be restricted immediately.

He says the asbestos risk was found to be low and the council was looking into remediation solutions, but didn’t know yet how long the grandstand would be closed.

“If the asbestos cannot be removed, there are options that may be suitable such as encapsulate or manage access through PPE or decontamination stations,” he said.

“Much of the Beatty Park facility infrastructure was built for the 1962 Empire Games and is heritage listed. 

“The grandstand no longer meets contemporary building, safety and access requirements. 

“While this makes the facility challenging to manage to contemporary standards, measures have been taken to ensure the continued operational viability of the facility to meet community needs.  

“The City continues to explore opportunities to modify the facility while maintaining its key heritage characteristics.

“We understand the Triton Water Polo Club’s concerns and the impact of the pool tiling works.

“We will continue to work closely with the club to find solutions that address these issues while ensuring safety and compliance with regulations.”

by STEVE GRANT