The Illawarra Hawks have spoken out to reassure other sporting groups using the Beaton Park Leisure Centre that they are looking at a range of options for their future accommodation needs and they "haven't committed to anything" at Ted Tobin Hall.
In the past week The Illawarra Flame received numerous complaints from community sporting organisations that Wollongong City Council had 'done a deal' with the high-flying Hawks, giving them almost exclusive access to Ted Tobin Hall. Earlier this month Council block-booked the hall to prevent other sports like badminton, pickleball and table tennis from using the facility. Those sports felt this was a move to free up the facility to give the Hawks exclusive access. Of greatest concern to these groups was the lack of consultation and transparency from Council.
After an outcry from the user groups, Council has given them a temporary reprieve, saying in a lengthy statement that the sporting clubs that currently use the site will be able to use Ted Tobin Hall "and we will continue to support the established regular bookings."
Council also made it clear that they're looking to offer greater support for the sport of basketball in the city. "Basketball is one of the highest growing participation sports for children, young people and adults in Australia," the Council statement said. "It has been identified that we need to further support the development of basketball from community pathways to elite sport in Wollongong."
It's no done deal
Hawks CEO Stu Taggart has told The Illawarra Flame no deal has been done between Council and the Hawks.
"We are in discussions with Council about the future non-exclusive use of Ted Tobin Hall and its availability but nothing has been decided," he said.
"We are working through a range of scenarios and looking at facilities across the Illawarra, not just Ted Tobin (Hall). We've been discussing potential options for a number of months. We utilise the Snakepit when it's available, but we don't have exclusive use of the Snakepit," Mr Taggart said.
He said the Hawks often had to find other locations to train when the team can't access the home of Illawarra basketball.
Mr Taggart said, while the Hawks needed greater certainty about its training facilities in future, he didn't want to see other sporting groups disadvantaged.
There's a place for everyone
"We are working with the Council, and from our point of view there's a place for everyone. We are open to discussions with other sporting groups to get an outcome that works for everyone," Mr Taggart said.
"It's important to understand the context. Our discussions with Council are about a broader facility strategy for the Hawks. We have signed an MOU between the Haws and the Illawarra Basketball Association, and we are working together on the future facility needs of the sport in the region. It hasn't always been a coordinated approach in the past and we need to present a united voice about our future needs."
Mr Taggart said there was "a national shortage of basketball facilities" and in coming into the Hawks' CEO role nearly two years ago, solving the accommodation issue was one of his top priorities if the club was to achieve its ambitions.
Hawks 'need to keep pushing'
"We aspire to secure a WNBL (women's) licence in the coming years, but we have an infrastructure deficiency that currently exists. As the only club that lives, trains and plays in a national competition in the Illawarra we need to keep pushing."
Mr Taggart said long term it was important "to look at Beaton Park as a sporting precinct".
"The highest priority for us is an integrated elite and community facility, not just for basketball but for all indoor sports."
Such a facility is included in Council's Beaton Park Master Plan, but it appears without significant state and/or federal funding it is many years from being achieved.
Read more: The exclusive report Anger as Council fouled out over controversial plans; Jeremy Lasek's opinion piece What would Ted think? and Wollongong City's Council's Beaton Park statement
