The Melbourne Rovers are Melbourne’s LGBTQIA+ team. They are open to anyone who wants to play – no trials, no barriers to entry. If you want to play they will find a way to include you.
I wish I had known about them when I was younger, I might have been more into sport!
In 2025, Yarra City Council told the team there was no more room at the training ground they had used for years, and they had to move to another pitch in Richmond. This was inconvenient enough, but what is worse is that the new pitch at Alan Bain Reserve is at best unsuitable, at worst unsafe. The terrain is uneven and hard, with slabs of concrete from a cricket pitch causing hazards, there are large patches of sand, it’s very near a busy road with insufficient fencing, and there is not enough lighting to play at night.
Melbourne Rovers first raised the safety of this pitch with Council in March 2025 and have continued to raise the alarm with Council more than a dozen times since. The Council have acknowledged the cover’s trip hazards, but the ground was nonetheless cleared for competition use this season and the hazard remains.
Considering the recent tragic death of a young man on a similar training ground, this issue is urgent.
The team wants to move back to Kevin Bartlett Reserve in Burnley, where they were based for years.
Can you join me in calling for the Council to allow the Melbourne Rovers back to Kevin Bartlett Reserve? The safety of people engaging in community sport should be a high priority, especially when it comes to a community who face so many barriers already. The Melbourne Rovers deserve a safe place to play. Sign our petition to support the team.
You can see more about the history of the team and the condition of Alan Bain reserve in this short video. The Melbourne Rovers team manager speaks eloquently about the importance of having an open and accessible LGBTQIA+ team in Richmond and how much it means to the players. The Rovers deserve a safe space to play.
