By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY Cardinia football players were forced to urinate in the showers at Hampton Park Football Club’s changerooms last month due to a lack of toilets, according to a football trainer with 40 years’ experience.
Noel Johnston, a trainer for ROC, has raised hygiene concerns over a lack of toilets at Robert Booth Reserve in Hampton Park which led to his side’s players urinating in the showers for the last game of the regular season.
Mr Johnston said the one toilet in Hampton Park’s away change rooms wasn’t enough.
“The Hampton Park and other football clubrooms are not suitable to how the players have to go to the toilet and forces players to urinate in the showers,” he said.
“It’s not very healthy for players having to shower later. It could cause tinea versicolor to our players and other team players.”
Council is currently upgrading football club facilities throughout the City of Casey in a bid to make them unisex and to meet acceptable standards under its Leisure Facilities and Development Plan.
But Mr Johnston was critical of urinals being removed from clubrooms across the league as a result of the unisex renovations and said Casey Council’s renovations at Hampton Park had not provided adequate toilet facilities.
“The council must go back to their drawing boards and the Health Department must have a look at this problem we have today in all football club players’ rooms,” he said.
Hampton Park President Chris Simpson said his club’s away room had been without a urinal for as long as he could remember and praised council’s work in renovating the other rooms and outside toilets.
ROC President Marty Long was also supportive of council’s renovations throughout the league, including at his own club’s rooms, and said he didn’t believe there was a problem with the number of toilets at Hampton Park.
Meanwhile City of Casey Manager Sport and Leisure Richard Amon said unisex facilities at football clubs were a much-needed inclusion within the community.
“The provision of unisex toilets aligns with two principles of universal design, being equitable use and flexibility in use,” he said.
“This allows facilities to be used by both males and females at separate times to ensure maximum usage by the community.”
Mr Amon said the inclusion of unisex toilets at football clubs across Casey in replacement of urinals was a pivotal addition.
“Council strongly supports female involvement in sport and the provision of unisex toilets in change rooms allows this to occur on a larger scale than the construction of stand-alone female change rooms would provide,” he said.
“The inclusion of urinals in spaces that are intended to be used by both males and females is not appropriate.”
