Hume council will consider developing a comprehensive sports plan, as part of a planned $44 million spend on sport this financial year.
At a meeting on February 12, football and its growth in Hume was the subject of heated debate, with its growing popularity a point of contention.
Councilor Joseph Haweil presented the notice of motion, calling for a standalone soccer strategy, following Hume’s 13 per cent increase in soccer participation from 2018 to 2023.
Officers recommended that instead of standalone sports strategies, the football strategy should be part of a holistic view of participation in all sports and its implications for all leisure spaces in Hume.
Cr Haweil said he was not looking to create a two-track system favoring some sports over others, but his intention is to level the playing field.
“The updated modeling will see football seen as the most played outdoor sport in Hume in the long term,” he said.
“In order to plan appropriate service delivery, we need to think beyond a few pages of a document covering 15 sports, and instead look to detailed, evidence-based strategic planning.
“(In) 2024-25, we expect this council to spend a whopping $44 million, or 29 per cent of our $154 million capital works budget.
“What is the sports participation rate in Hume? that’s 8.2 percent.
Councilor Jack Medcraft disagreed and said football was not the most demanding sport in Sunbury. Cr Medcraft is the president of the Sunbury Lions Football Netball Club.
“The predominant sports in Sunbury are football, cricket, basketball and golf,” he said. “You’re trying to paint a picture here of Hume’s whole football-centric picture.”
Councilor Jarrod Bell said he supported the notice of motion because sometimes councils develop plans, strategies and goals that miss the mark.
“Sometimes these plans and ideas don’t provide a clear understanding of where we’re going or what might happen in the future,” he said.
“I think there is an opportunity to rethink how we plan our sports.”
According to the motion, it is predicted that by 2041, football will be the second most played sport, after Australian rules football.
