City of Port Phillip council Mayor, Marcus Pearl, has apologised to devastated members and female players of the Port Melbourne Soccer Club after the council withdrew its support for the Club to be a training venue for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Less than six months after being selected by FIFA as one of 13 official training venues for the tournament, Port Melbourne SC was surprised to learn that council had withdrawn the site.
According to ABC News, a planned upgrade to facilities at the JL Murphy soccer pitch as part of FIFA’s legacy investment in women’s football was agreed to by the council, only to be reneged last week.
In a statement to the national broadcaster, the chief executive of Port Phillip council, Peter Smith, said upgrades to the ground, which included the installation of a $500,000 drainage system on Pitch 1, a lighting upgrade costing $120,000 and improvements to make bathroom facilities more ‘female friendly,’ were thought to be achievable until June this year.
“These three non-negotiable requirements totalled $700,000,” Mr Smith said.
“While FIFA offered to contribute $100,000 towards these drainage works, there is currently no council budget to make up that shortfall.”
This sudden U-turn by the council has led Port Melbourne FC members and female players to question whether the council’s commitment was ever genuine.
In response, those left disappointed by council’s decision held a meeting with Mayor Pearl on Sunday morning at the Club and voiced their concerns.
Club player, Gabrielle Vittori, said the council’s decision to withdraw support was “heart breaking” and called for more support for female football players.
“This is not about me, this is about the girls that I play with that are much younger. This is about the young girls that are coming through in our community that want to play for years and years,” Ms Vittori told ABC News.
An ex-President of the Club was also present at the meeting and said the dispute with the council over the stadium has been ongoing for over 20 years.
“Back in the day, we had VPL women’s team, the highest level of the state women’s team, we lost those women back then because of Pitch 2. Pitch 2 has not been touched for 20 years,” the ex-President said.
For his part, the Port Phillip Mayor apologised to those in attendance.
“We’re sorry for the way this has been handled and it’s unacceptable and I apologise for that,” Mayor Pearl said at the meeting.
The Mayor added that the council will continue working on the female-friendly changing room upgrades and ensuring the lighting is suitable for community sport.
While the council’s decision appears to be final, the local football community said they are prepared to fight on hoping the girls and women of Port Melbourne SC can have their ground returned to the FIFA Women’s World Cup legacy program.
