By Cam Lucadou-Wells
THREE of Casey’s biggest soccer clubs are siding with councillor Rafal Kaplon’s call to fix a soccer facility “crisis” in the municipality.
Berwick City, Endeavour United and Casey Panthers soccer club presidents say a lack of pitches and sub-standard clubrooms are curbing the sport’s natural growth.
Endeavour United president Rocco Rullo said his 280-strong club was turning away players due to a lack of volunteers, coaches and training pitches.
“Conservatively, for the current season, we estimate up to 100 children have been turned away.”
Mr Rullo said the council had agreed to minor works to the clubrooms but bigger works such as more grounds and lighting were sorely needed.
Casey Panthers president Phil Pallot said his 300-player club was confined to one main pitch at its Prospect Hill Reserve home ground in Narre Warren.
As a result, the club was turning away potential players, and many of its 21 teams were training at other venues.
“We can’t grow the club.
“Most of us have the perception that AFL and cricket are favoured in the municipality, and that most future (soccer) plans are in the south of the municipality.”
Berwick City Soccer club president Joe Di Iorio said the council had until recently failed to acknowledge the sub-standard state of Jack Thomas Reserve in Narre Warren North.
The 700-player club, the largest in Casey, was also turning away juniors.
“Our members and families are interested in solutions, not excuses for the poor facilities or who’s to blame for not upgrading them,” Mr Di Iorio said.
Ahead of October’s council elections, Cr Kaplon committed to upgrade Berwick City’s home ground, including its cramped change rooms and poor drainage, as well as installing a synthetic pitch.
Casey’s lack of action on Jack Thomas Reserve was an “embarrassment”, Cr Kaplon said.
“This is not a situation where one club is asking for money.
“It’s a united call by some of Casey and Victoria’s largest clubs for recognition of the problems the sport is facing in Casey.”
Casey Mayor Sam Aziz had recently claimed that Berwick City’s woes were due to a lack of lobbying by ward councillors Kaplon and Rosalie Crestani.
Cr Kaplon said he and Cr Crestani had battled a pro-AFL and cricket “mentality” among some councillors and council officers to make the “largest substantial investment in soccer” in Casey in the past three years.
Among the achievements were a soccer reference committee and a commitment to a $1.7 million synthetic soccer pitch at Gleneagles Secondary College.
Cr Kaplon was also working on further synthetic pitches at existing soccer reserves to increase pitch use by 200 per cent and pushing for a practice pitch for Casey Panthers on Melbourne Water land.
