Sports club information and guidelines for maintenance, access and servicing of facilities.
The City's sport and recreation facilities are used by many different community groups. The following resources and information are for committees and sports clubs to understand maintenance, servicing and access to City facilities.
Fees, sports grounds and pavilions
The City provides facilities at a significantly subsidised rate to sporting and recreation clubs. A small fee is charged to recoup a proportion of the actual cost of providing the sports ground and pavilion.
Fees will be calculated and invoiced once all seasonal allocation applications have been received.
Payment of fees
An invoice for fees will be forwarded to clubs along with a due date when payment is required. Any club that does not pay by the due date and does not make arrangement for payments will be considered as non-paying. Grounds will not be issued to user groups if there are outstanding fees owed without an existing repayment schedule and written agreement in play.
Non-payment of fees
Any club that has a genuine reason for not being able to meet its financial obligations should contact the City in writing and a formal meeting with a Facility Liaison Officer will be scheduled. A written agreement for a payment plan will be drafted, to which the user group must strictly adhere.
Termination
The City may terminate the Club’s agreement if:
Allocation fees are not paid within two (2) months of the due date for payment;
The club breaches terms and conditions of the agreement and after having been given notice in writing of the breach, the Club fails to remedy the breach within one (1) month; or
An order is made or a resolution is passed for the winding up of the club
Utilities
Clubs are responsible for paying the utility charges (telephone, electricity, water, sewerage and gas) related to their seasonal use. Any disputes or discrepancies with utility bills must be taken up with the utility service provider. City officers are not able to discuss or resolve any discrepancies.
Where clubs share facilities, each club will be responsible for a percentage of the utility charge, and this should be negotiated between clubs. If clubs cannot come to an agreement regarding the shared costs, the City will negotiate this percentage.
Sports lights
Clubs seeking to install or upgrade training lights should liaise with the Active and Healthy Lifestyles Community Projects Team prior to submitting a request.
General maintenance requests of sports ground lighting, which includes their fittings and globe replacements, must be submitted from our make a request page.
Advertising and signage
The City’s permission is required before advertising or sponsorship signage can be installed. Any proposed signage must meet all regulations and planning requirements, please contact the City's Planning Department on 1300 002 642.
Any maintenance to advertising signage, plus any repair to infrastructure and fences required due to the installation of signage is the responsibility of the Club.
Entrance signage will be installed and maintained by the City.
Vehicles on reserve
User groups must ensure that no vehicles (including those of visiting sporting groups) are driven onto the playing fields or grassed surrounds of the City’s sporting grounds without prior permission from the City. Emergency vehicles are exempt. Vehicles are only permitted to park in the designated car parking areas of a venue according to parking restrictions.
Portable soccer goals
The City does not provide, maintain or replace portable soccer goals. Tenant soccer clubs are responsible for ensuring that all portable soccer goals at a City facility comply with the relevant Australian Standards in relation to manufacture, installation, use, storage and maintenance. A copy of these Standards is available from the City’s Active and Healthy Lifestyles Liaison Officer.
Goal posts and goal post padding
The maintenance, installation and removal of goals is the responsibility of the City. Clubs are responsible for the provision and erection of goal post padding and nets on goal posts. Clubs should check with their governing body for all safety specifications in relation to their sport.
Temporary closure of grounds
The City reserves the right to close any sports ground or facility for reasons such as:
- Poor weather conditions
- To protect the playing surface
- Community safety
- Allow rehabilitation of the ground after damage
- To complete capital works / undertake maintenance
In the case of the sudden closure of a sport ground/s, the City will aim to notify any club affected by a ground closure as early as possible to allow for alternative arrangements.
Irrigation
The City is responsible for the maintenance and operation of all automatic irrigation systems. Clubs are not to access or alter control unit settings under any circumstances.
Clubs must notify the City immediately if there is any interruption to mains power as this can affect the irrigation system. Please report a leaking or fault irrigation system via the City’s Make a Request page.
Dumped and illegal rubbish
Rubbish dumped on City land should be reported to the City.
Report a litter or dumped rubbish issues or contact the City’s Customer Support team on 1300 002 642 or [email protected]
Graffiti and vandalism
The club is responsible for reporting all external graffiti and vandalism on pavilions and/or surrounds to the Liaison Officer. It is the responsibility of tenants to remove all internal graffiti and from sponsorship signage.
To request graffiti removal from a City property, please make a submission via the City’s Make a Request page
Open fires
Clubs are not permitted to have open fires of any description inside or outside of the pavilion.
Car parks and access roads
Maintenance of car parks and access roads is the responsibility of the City. Where access roads require grading, the City will complete the works on a regular maintenance cycle. Clubs have a role to play in identifying car parks and access roads which require intervention.
To report an issue or request a service, please refer to the City’s Make a Request page.
Coaches box
The City will work with tenant clubs for the installation of a maximum of two (2) coaches boxes or two (2) dugouts to be erected on each sports ground.
Tenant clubs are responsible for maintenance of coaches boxes and where there is more than one user group, the maintenance cost should be split equally between each club.
Sight screens
Sight screens are the sole responsibility of the club and clubs have full renewal and maintenance responsibilities. Only portable sight screens are permitted.
Gate keepers box
Clubs wishing to construct a gatekeepers' box must liaise with the City regarding construction requirements. The maintenance of gatekeeper's boxes is the responsibility of the tenant club.
Water restrictions
The City of Greater Bendigo may be subject to water restrictions of varying limitations at times. For more information on the current status of water restrictions refer to the Coliban Water website.
Clubs must comply with all relevant water restrictions and should understand that water restrictions may affect their use of City’s sports grounds. Clubs should advise the City as soon as possible with regards to leaking taps, toilet cisterns and urinals so they can be fixed by a licenced plumber to avoid wastage.
Public toilets
The City maintains and pays the utility costs associated with toilets located on City reserves that are open to the public seven days a week. This includes public toilets attached to pavilions and free standing public toilet blocks. Where toilets are located at a sports reserve and are only open on match days for members and spectators of the user group, the Club will be responsible for opening, closing, cleaning and payment of utility costs. To report a public toilet issue please contact the City.
Shared use
Clubs sharing a facility are to liaise with other users to ensure clashes do not occur over training schedules, pavilion usage and equipment storage.
The City expects shared users to operate harmoniously and will make a final determination should clubs be unable to resolve any issues.
Noise and offensive behaviour
Clubs are responsible for ensuring all members and guests of the clubs and that the level of sound coming from a sports ground or pavilion does not reach a level where it would interfere with the residents of surrounding properties. Where a function is being held, amplified music is not permitted (by the City’s Local Law) within the following times:
- Mondays – Thursdays before 7.00am or after 10.00pm
- Fridays – before 7.00am or after 10.00pm
- Saturdays and Public Holidays – before 9.00am or after 11.00pm
- Sundays – before 9.00am or after 10.00pm
Noise levels must not exceed EPA guidelines. More information is located on the EPA website.
Fire extinguishers
The City provides a number of fire extinguishers and fire blankets within each pavilion to comply with Essential Services Regulation. Equipment is serviced regularly by the City to ensure the correct operation in the event of an emergency.
User groups must notify the City as soon as possible if an emergency occurs and should also be notified if fire-fighting equipment is used, particularly if an extinguisher requires refilling.
Naming of reserves
The City has developed a Community Guide to place interpretation and naming, which provides the process for the community when making a request to the City for naming requests.
Emergency evacuation
The City will provide each Pavilion with an official evacuation plan which must be displayed in the Pavilion and followed in the event of an emergency. If a Pavilion does not have an evacuation plan, the Club must contact the City immediately to arrange one.
Clubs are responsible for ensuring that exit paths are maintained, kept accessible and clear of obstruction for the safe evacuation from a facility if an emergency situation occurs.
Security
Clubs must ensure that the pavilion is securely locked after use. The Club is responsible for closing and locking all doors and windows, turning off water taps and all lights on the sports ground and in the pavilion when leaving. The Club must notify the City of any breach of security immediately and provide copies of the police report.