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.
But 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, which is at best unsuitable, at worst unsafe. The pitch 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.
