SOMERVILLE Secondary College is set to explore a new synthetic soccer pitch for community use, following a council decision to develop a draft joint use agreement with the school and the Victorian School Building Authority.
The motion, endorsed by councillors at their 17 February meeting, comes in response to a growing shortage of soccer fields in Somerville and the surrounding Western Port area.
According to a council report, an independent condition audit of the existing college pitch found it “could not be renovated/refurbished to meet Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) quality mark standards, and the pitch was not in a condition to accommodate senior/community competition sport”.
Replacement costs for a new pitch on the current site are estimated at $1.6m, while building at an alternative location could cost about $2.5m.
“Soccer participation in Victoria has experienced significant growth in recent years and there is a recognised shortage of soccer fields and supporting infrastructure in Somerville. Council’s adopted Sports Capacity Plan Volume 1 – Sports Fields (2019) recommends developing Joint Use Agreement’s (JUA’s) to expand the number of sporting facilities located on education land that can be accessed by sports clubs,” the council report said.
This included a proposal at the time to construct a three-pitch district/township level soccer reserve in Somerville; one pitch to be a fenced and dedicated soccer pitch; two pitches to be dual use with cricket, with the proposal investigating the feasibility of utilising Barakee Reserve.
Councillor Kate Roper stressed the local need during the meeting, saying “Somerville Eagles Soccer Club is the only soccer club for senior players in Western Port”.
“Plan for Victoria also recognises that there can be better use of school grounds after school hours and supports initiatives for the shared use of open space schools,” she said.
“Some schools on the peninsula already share their facilities successfully to various sports… and it’s a win-win for keeping our residents active”.
Roper added by entering a JUA, which would ultimately come back to council for approval, was a “medium-term solution for the growing need for soccer facilities in Western Port”.
The council report stated that should a JUA be pursued for Somerville Secondary College, council could seek grant funding of up to $500,000 through the state government’s Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.
To be eligible, council would need to submit a community joint use proposal together with a letter of support from the Department of Education.
Cr David Gill, who voted against the motion, raised concerns about the proposal being a short-term solution, saying “I don’t see how this works. I’ve seen it for a long, long time; the Western Port side… the quick fix and not the long-term solution”.
“The long-term solution is to put the money aside to buy the land that we need for the proper solution; the three pitches”.
But Cr Cam Williams said, “I think this is a great medium-term investment because building relationships with the education department…it will stand us in good stead going forward.”
Deputy mayor Cr Paul Pingiaro was also supportive of the idea.
“It’s actually getting our community using it. This is going to be used by school kids daily. It’s going to have 60 to 80 hours a week usage… entering into this JUA can open up further grant funding for up to $500,000,” he said.
First published in the Western Port News – 4 March 2026