Leichhardt Oval snubbed for funding by state government

By SAM PASHMI

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has called out NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet for again neglecting to fund Leichhardt Oval, a stomping ground for the Wests Tigers. Leichhardt Oval was granted no funding in a recent budget announcement by the state government, stalling previous plans to give the oval upgrades.

Cr Byrne said in a statement that the current government has “dudded” the oval for 12 straight budgets and has “allocated funds to every other major suburban ground in Sydney, aside from Leichhardt and Campbelltown.”

“The Premier likes to make a big deal of being a Tigers fan but given his abysmal record of failing to support our spiritual home at Leichhardt, it’s seems his alleged support for the Club is just a charade” Cr Byrne said.

Cr Byrne said that if Perrottet attended a Tigers game in the future, he would receive a “frosty reception” from fans.

This comes after Cr Byrne released an upgrade plan for the oval in May, expecting money to come in the budget to fund his master plan. The plan included improved parking as well as opening the ground to the public during weekdays.

“Dilapidated” change rooms among issues with oval

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Leichhardt oval is currently in a state of disrepair. They say that the north end toilets haven’t been in use for over a decade, paint is peeling off walls, and change rooms are “dilapidated”.

However, the community is showing division on the subject, with commenters on an Inner West Facebook group showing mixed feelings for the funding allocations.

“It needs an upgrade. However, there are limited funds. I’d put renovating the Public Schools on the Peninsula as a higher priority” one commenter said.

Another commenter noted that traffic issues need to be the main focus for government funding over fixing stadiums.

Cr Byrne has continued his campaigning for funding for the oval, as flyers were handed out at a Wests Tigers game on July 9. The flyers call for “fair funding for Leichhardt Oval now!”, saying that the state government has “refused to give a cent to the greatest suburban ground in Australia”.