Trashed: Bulldogs stand that was grand

By Samantha Williams

17 February 2005 – Daily Telegraph

THE Canterbury Bulldogs have been accused of leaving their traditional home ground a vandalised "dog's breakfast" in need of $173,800 in repairs. While Canterbury Council claims the football club has shirked its responsibility for maintenance of the Belmore Sports Ground grandstand, the Bulldogs are bemused and are pointing the finger at the Council for any "inaction".

In October last year the Council commissioned an audit which found that since ceasing competition games in 1998 the Bulldogs had not appropriately maintained or undertaken any form of security measures at the grandstand. The Daily Telegraph visited the stand yesterday and was easily able to open doors to access the top section of the stand, where once-busy bar and corporate box facilities are located. The seating in the upper section is covered in pigeon droppings and the corporate boxes, as well as the service areas, have been heavily vandalised.

Every wall in the corporate box section is covered in graffiti, some parts of the ceiling have caved in, stains cover the carpet and there are cigarette butts as well as beer bottle caps scattered in those areas. Council City Works director Bob Bullivant said the audit identified that the building required urgent attention in all areas.

"Some elements, particularly the airconditioning unit, have not been specified correctly or installed in a tradesman-like manner," he said. "The club has, it seems, only been maintaining those areas within the stand which it uses for administration, storage or training purposes." Although Belmore Sports Ground houses the Bulldogs' administration and training facilities, they are considering moving their entire operation to the Olympic velodrome and its adjacent fields at Bankstown.

Bulldogs CEO Malcolm Noad is adamant they weren't the ones holding up the repairs. "If it was such an important issue, why has there been inaction by the Council?" Mr Noad said. "I find it hard to believe we are to be blamed when this problem was identified by the Council 2½ years ago, but not acted on." Mr Noad said the Council invoiced the club on a quarterly basis -- an obligation that it had never "shied away from".

It is understood that the Bulldogs have not been notified about the contents of the report at this stage. Council's general manager Jim Montague told The Daily Telegraph that a meeting was being organised with the Bulldogs club this week to discuss the proposal.