MEDIA RELEASE: Hills Football League Inc.
2023 Grand Final Venues and Summit Sports Park venue:
The Hills Football League is pleased to announce the confirmed venues for the Division 1 and Country Division Grand Finals for Season 2023.
The venues are:
Division 1 Grand Finals: Lobethal Oval hosted by the Lobethal Football Club
Country Division Grand Finals: Kersbrook Oval (Kersbrook Soldiers Memorial Park) hosted by the Kersbrook Football Club.
We believe that these clubs will provide two outstanding days of country football at its finest and that the many excellent and dedicated volunteers will ensure a memorable experience for players, officials, media and spectators alike. We thank all clubs who sent in submissions to host these two significant events on the community calendar.
Questions were asked last year and no doubt will be again this year as to why these games could not be held at the Summit Sports Park Oval and we would like to address those directly. One of the key reasons is that there is very little lasting infrastructure remaining, due to the ‘bump in’ and ‘bump out’ nature of the AFL Gather Round fixture. The cost prohibitive nature of a club seeking to host local matches and grand finals at such a venue is significant. We do acknowledge the outstanding playing surface and base facilities that have been provided at the Summit, however there are major reasons as to why this venue is not a viable alternative to hosting these games at dedicated club facilities such as Lobethal and Kersbrook.
The Hills Football League recently informed the Mount Barker District Council of the difficulties in utilising the Summit Sports Park Oval to host major matches and/or Grand Finals. The league outlined several major issues including:
-The lack of permanent or even temporary fencing, enabling the ground to be closed off completely for an event.
-The need to restrict entry to a maximum of two entry points so admission to any event can be controlled for authorised entry and to ensure admission is paid on entry.
It was pointed out that these conditions were a league requirement for any finals venue to be considered and at this point in time we have not received any proposal from the Mount Barker council in terms of how this might be addressed. The Hills Football League relies heavily on the ability to charge a modest admission fee to finals matches which is used to cover many of the costs associated with running the events with any surplus forming part of the annual general revenue which allows the league to operate from a base of financial security and certainty.
Additionally, the Mount Barker Football Club has been seeking sustainable ways to utilise this facility and to date they have made significant capital contributions towards upgrading the kitchen and interior facilities. These works were required in order for them to be able to host a full game day experience including BBQ, prepared meals, bar facilities and spaces for patrons to participate in a day of country football matches.
No contribution or financial relief from usage fees has been received from the council to assist in this process and this has made the situation untenable for the club on any permanent basis, as the return from a game day is minimal to break even at best. All HFL Clubs rely on home games to generate enough revenue to run multiple football programs from Auskick and Modified rules teams through to Junior and Senior Colts. This is in addition of course to Senior Football Teams across multiple grades in Men’s and Women’s football. The inability to promote awareness of sponsors and to truly create a ‘Home Game’ experience, has directly led to a decrease in sponsorship revenues and activity on which the HFL and clubs rely on for their continued viability and future success.
The league was initially excited to have this development in the region, however ongoing usage fees, licence arrangements, facility issues, liquor licensing issues and the inability to use this facility for premier matches within the season and at finals time, has rendered it as an unviable venue choice. To date the council has not been responsive to the needs of the Hills Football League or the Mount Barker Football Club. It would be a great shame that in one of the fastest growing areas in the state, that there was a facility that could not be utilised to its full potential due to an unwillingness to hear the concerns of the Hills Football League and the football community generally. As it stands, we cannot foresee any way, without meaningful dialogue and engagement, that Summit Sports Park Oval will be a viable facility for use by any of the clubs in the Hills Football League for the foreseeable future. The Summit Sports Park Oval has been excluded as a venue for the 2023 Hills Football League Grand Final matches.
For comment or clarification, please contact Joanne Purdie, President, Hills Football League Inc.
Email:
hflincpresident@gmail.com
