It's time the tail stopped wagging the dog

One has to feel sorry for South Hobart FC in regard to what is being done to the grounds they hire for matches at South Hobart Oval and Wellesley Park.

The club pays for the hire of these grounds and it is reasonable to expect the grounds to be in safe and sanitary condition when matches are played there.

The players’ welfare, including that of junior players, is surely part of the equation.

But, the Hobart City Council apparently regards the grounds as suitable for dog walking when games are not being played.

Complaints by the South Hobart club about dog droppings being left on the grounds and having to be cleared by club volunteers before games appear to be legitimate.

The club president, Victoria Morton, also says dogs urinate on the grass, discolouring it and possibly making it unsanitary.

The issue is certainly a bone of contention, and it seems more and more like a case of the tail wagging the dog when it comes to the involvement of a local dog walking group.

The group is reported to have claimed the dog droppings are really wallaby droppings.

As one who regularly walks on ovals (belonging to a different city council) for exercise, I find it hard to believe that one could mistake a dog’s droppings for wallaby droppings.

I can also attest to the fact that at least one council is very slow to act, if at all, against dog owners who walk their animals in prohibited areas, let alone against those who don’t clean up after their pets.

Other HCC sports grounds have bans on dogs.  North Hobart Oval is a prime example.  It is a sacred AFL ground, after all.

South Hobart Oval was for many years the ‘headquarters’ of soccer in southern Tasmania.  It has been likened to sacred ground in terms of the history of the game in this State.

It is enclosed, so why shouldn’t dogs be banned from being exercised on it?  The well-being of players, including young players, should be paramount, and that argument applies also to Wellesley Park.

This is an area where Football Federation Tasmania should bring some weight to bear.  South Hobart Oval is, after all, a major ground.

Not only does it host NPL Tasmania games  -  the top-tier soccer competition in Tasmania  -  it has, in the past, been used by South Hobart FC to host interstate teams in national competitions, and this is a possibility in the future, too.

I am told that the local dog walking group has threatened to picket South Hobart home games if dogs are banned from being walked on the pitch.

If that is true, it smacks of arrogance and is a selfish threat.  It also sounds very much like bullying.

Given the number of people who are dog owners, it's probably not an idle threat.

Perhaps it’s time for South Hobart FC to harness the power and influence of its many sponsors and notable supporters, including politicians, members of the professions and business people, as well as the many parents whose kids belong to Morton’s Soccer School, and bring their reasonable views to the attention of the council.

Many of these people are probably dog owners, too, so they'll have to decide on which side of the fence they stand on this issue.

Public submissions to the Hobart City Council’s draft dog management strategy close on 25 January.

A South Hobart club submission is certain to be lodged, but there should also be a host of submissions lodged by individual supporters, sponsors, and clients of Morton’s Soccer School, as well as one from Football Federation Tasmania.

It’s time to bring in the heavy guns.