By Glen Atwell
CASEY Council will spend $890,000 improving facilities at Casey Fields – and gift a vacant block of land up to the value of $600,000 – to entice Melbourne Football Club (MFC) to relocate its operations to Cranbourne.
The 2008-09 Casey budget, adopted by the council on Tuesday night, included $750,000 to extend the pavilion at Casey Fields and $140,000 to seal the existing crushed rock car park at the Victorian Football League ground.
A vacant block of land, up to the value $600,000, will also be offered to the Demons as part of the deal, according to comments made by councillor Kevin Bradford during debate.
Councillors opposed to the offer have labelled the deal a “rescue package”, and questioned the future viability of the MFC. Councillor Rob Wilson said the MFC was fast approaching bankruptcy.
“MFC will be bankrupt very soon, and the City of Casey will be their rescue package,” he said. “Council should not be spending $890,000 of ratepayers’ money to prop up a club that is about to be bankrupt.
“There are many local sporting clubs that desperately need this $890,000.”
Cr Bradford said with reports of MFC’s debt approaching $4.5 million it would be unwise to invest such large sums of money.
“The club’s new chairman, Jim Stynes, recently ordered all dealings with the MFC be put on hold for two weeks to allow the club to review its financial situation,” he said. “Casey is about to allocate money to a club that may not be in existence, at least not in Melbourne, in a few years’ time. The current offer will also see a vacant parcel of land, up to the value of $600,000, be allocated to MFC to do whatever it wants with.
“So council will not only be giving MFC $890,000 in cash, but also a parcel of land.
“What will they use this for? Restaurants, social clubs, pokies?” Cr Bradford asked the chamber. “There is only one person pushing for the MFC to come to Casey, and that’s our chief executive officer, Mike Tyler.”
When questioned about ongoing discussions with the Demons, Mr Tyler said he was unaware of any parcel of vacant land being allocated to MFC.
“No piece of land has been identified to be given to MFC,” he said. “There are discussions under way with MFC … I’d like to think a decision on the matter will be made in two or three weeks.
“The debts of the club are irrelevant to the City of Casey. We won’t be assuming any responsibility for their debt,” Mr Tyler said.
Councillor Lorraine Wreford said if the council eventually came to an agreement with the Demons, the deal would come under close scrutiny.
“The Demons have provided a verbal guarantee to go into our local schools and support local not-for-profit organisations,” she said. “We want that commitment in writing – without that nothing will go ahead.”
Councillor Steve Beardon said his constituents were crying out for the presence of an Australian Football League (AFL) club.
“I’m hearing the community saying ‘we want an AFL club in Casey’,” Cr Beardon said.
“The potential economic benefit to the suburb of Cranbourne warrants the investment.”
Councillors Bradford, Wilson and Paul Richardson refused to support the budget until the $890,000 associated with the MFC was removed. Councillors Janet Halsall, Mick Morland, Colin Butler, Smith, Beardon and Wreford voted in favour of the recommendations. Councillor Mick Farley did not attend Tuesday night’s meeting.
Demons football manager Chris Connolly was unavailable for comment when contacted by the News.
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