Footy heritage ditched for a few pieces of glory

EXCLUSIVE:
By Carmelo Amalfi
FREMANTLE City Football Club could be forced to leave the port city if council’s finance committee approves a Perth Glory proposal to move into Fremantle Oval on Parry Street.
President Mark De Luca wrote to all councillors on Friday expressing the club’s shock at a recommendation to FPOL tomorrow to allow Perth Glory Football Club to occupy part of the existing City administration building once council moved into the new Walyalup Civic Centre.
With 2322sqm of floor space on two levels, Glory wants to use 1250sqm on the ground floor at $250 a sqm or $312,500 a year under a three-year contract, with a two year option to extend. The City would contribute $350,000-$400,000 to upgrade the building for 20 administration and coaching staff and about 70 players. However, Glory also wants to use Ken Allen Field in Beaconsfield – which is where Mr De Luca is calling offside.
He told StreetWise the 1200 player-strong club, whose ‘lease’ expired two years ago, wanted to expand its facilities at Ken Allen, which Glory plans to use as a training and players facility under its EOI (expression of interest) to council.
Ken Allen was previously used by Fremantle Rugby Club, with the Roosters (founded in 1928) expected to move to a new $6.7 million community sports centre in Treeby in Cockburn once it leaves Beaconsfield in 2022.
Mr De Luca said to elected members: “We were requested to submit an EOI … by your councillors recently and are now in absolute shock and dismay that Perth Glory’s submission to your next meeting is indeed being considered. Our club representatives have been in constant contact with the City of Fremantle regarding our expression of interest in our aim to seek a lease for our club for Ken Allen reserve. It appears that Perth Glory has now jumped the cue without due process.”
He added: “I acknowledge it is merely an agenda item for you all to review and consider, but I wish to make it clear from the perspective of the club of Fremantle City Football Club that should you accept such a submission, it would be utterly hypocritical given your remarks to us that alternative community involvement was a necessity.”
His pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears at the informal elected members meeting last night where councillors openly welcomed the ‘news’ that a private professional outfit planned to take over a community space used by generations of Freo players and their families.
Mr De Luca told StreetWise the club was encouraged by council members to present to a ‘powerpoint’ proposal detailing the club’s planned future uses for Ken Allen: “The expression of interest has been an expression of interest for many years, verbally. It was only recently that the City asked us to put something forward that was more community focused. It needed more diversity to capture the wider community.”
The requested EOI for Ken Allen is almost complete, but he said once the club got wind of Perth Glory’s proposal last week, “I had to email council on Friday and say, ‘hold five and wait until you can hear what we have to say'”.
Mr De Luca said the club’s EOI for Ken Allen would be irrelevant if FPOL approved Perth Glory’s EOI for 70 Parry Street.
“Perth Glory has jumped the process and that’s just not acceptable,” he said, adding he believed Perth Glory may have submitted an EOI for the use of Ken Allen as a training ground but as far as the club was concerned, it was the only one to submit one.
“I can’t believe City officers have been swayed by a shiny $300,000 of silver over a club with historic roots in Fremantle. This club was built off the sweat of Freo people and all our profits go back into the community. Council cannot just give exclusive use to one group without consultation and due consideration for the wider community needs as the Council had mandated.”

Shifting the goal posts

The agenda for FPOL which is chaired by Beaconsfield Cr and mayoral candidate Hannah Fitzhardinge states that in March this year the City sought expressions of interest for 70 Parry Street (Fremantle Oval) from commercial and community proponents under terms of a lease agreement or licence: “A variety of proposals were received however due to unforeseen delays associated with the completion of the Walyalup Civic Centre, officers made the decision not to progress with any leases or licenses at that time.
“In recent months estimated completion dates for the Walyalup Civic Centre have become considerably more certain and as such the City is now better placed to consider future uses for the administration building at 70 Parry Street. During that time the City has received a proposal from Perth Glory Football Club to occupy the space and officers are now presenting this to council for consideration. Other proponents who expressed interest in the initial EOI process are also being considered again subject to suitable portions of the building being available in line with the uses they had proposed.”
The FPOL agenda adds: “Officers are also in discussion with the club regarding the use of Ken Allen Field given the Fremantle Roosters Rugby Club will be departing the facility to relocate to Cockburn in 2022. Should the Perth Glory require use of Ken Allen Field prior to the departure of the Roosters, a collaborative approach to the sharing of the field would need to be determined between the City, the Roosters and the Glory.”
Cr Mofflin told StreetWise the FPOL item related only to Perth Glory moving into 70 Parry Street: “What hasn’t been considered yet is the use of other training facilities within Fremantle. One of the things Perth Glory put on the table is to have a look at Ken Allen. It all needs to be worked through. There is nothing formal in place in regard to the rugby ground at Ken Allen.”
Someone at South Fremantle Football Club did not get the memo. Even before it is to be considered by FPOL, it appears the Perth Glory proposal is a done “deal” according to a September 2 post on the SFFC website that states it is, “pleased to announce a new partnership arrangement with the Perth Glory that will see the A-League Club relocate to Fremantle Community Bank Oval”.
Its Facebook post includes an image of Deputy Mayor and South Ward Cr Andrew Sullivan standing with Perth Glory CEO Tony Pignata and South Fremantle CEO Cameron Britt, who  “welcomes Perth Glory to the Port City”.
The same day, 91.7FM declared – ‘Perth Glory find a new home”, “relocating to the Fremantle Oval complex”. It added the shared use arrangement with South Fremantle Football Club will be in place for several months while, “the City of Fremantle prepare to accommodate the full Perth Glory organisation in the old Dockers building/current Council offices on a mid-term lease basis”.
According to the City’s ‘Community Facilities Plan: Future Directions 2036’, released the month before Fremantle Dockers moved to Cockburn in 2017, NRL WA, “has expressed interest in keeping Ken Allen Field and developing it as a high performance facility”.
It adds: “Fremantle City Football (soccer) Club have expressed an interest in using this ground, if the rugby league club were to relocate. This information would be considered as part of the precinct masterplan.”
The City did not respond to StreetWise questions.