The Canberra Demons are the capital's leading Australian rules team but even they felt homeless at Manuka Oval, with ACT government officials watching their every move like hawks.
Government officials would ask the team to move off certain patches of grass after a few minutes of training, and now the Demons have relocated to a new permanent base at Phillip Oval but they still can't get access to a full oval with the centre square roped off to preserve the cricket pitches.
The Canberra Demons are locked in a fight to use Manuka Oval.
Manuka Oval will host five NEAFL games and four AFL Canberra first grade matches before teams shift to the redeveloped Phillip Oval in July.
AFL Canberra will return for its senior grand finals in September – but that could double as a farewell to the ground, given ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has written to the Demons to say Manuka Oval is being kept for elite sports.
Manuka Oval is home to the GWS Giants for four games per year [three regular season, one pre-season, one AFLW] as part of a 10-year, $23 million deal with the ACT government. While no formal deal is in place, the Giants are also committed to playing one AFL Women's game in Canberra per season.
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The ACT government says it provides $70,000 annually to AFL NSW/ACT to support the sport locally, but the Demons have been left starved of sponsorship dollars.
Player-coach Kade Klemke says Canberra's pre-season training has been mainly restricted to junior ovals for the past two seasons in a situation hardly fitting for a state league team and Manuka Oval has been cordoned off on the rare occasions they use it.
AFL Canberra's days in Canberra could be numbered. Photo: Jamila Toderas
Photo: Jamila Toderas
"I love Manukas facilities but you kind of feel like we werent really getting looked after. We want something that we can call home. Football Park is somewhere we can," Klemke said.
"Were not allowed to use any of the enclosed ovals over pre-season like Gungahlin or Tuggeranong. Then Manuka has cricket on it, so its a real challenge for us.
"Were a state league team so thats something we definitely want to fix, and it would be great to have some government support in fixing that as well.
"Thats why were a little bit annoyed, wed just like to see a little bit more support. We want to see kids get drafted from Canberra and get Canberra players playing in the AFL.
"Thats where we need a bit of support in that area."
Demons vice-president Brian Quade has in the past written to Barr proposing a new stadium in Civic be made a multi-sport venue instead of rectangular to cater for all sports, and has since urged the government to "look at the broader community value of a regional side like the Demons".
Some AFL Canberra coaches believe local grounds are in dire need of upgrades and the cost of hiring Manuka Oval has left AFL Canberra considering shifting its senior grand finals to Phillip Oval.
ACT and Southern regional manager Steve Mahar is prepared to have discussions with clubs about the prospect of moving games away from Manuka Oval.
"Next year we will probably have a good discussion with the clubs around their willingness to take that grand final to Phillip or keeping it at Manuka," Mahar said.
"You cant escape the fact that its a 15,000 capacity at Manuka, and to open up that venue, it costs a lot. That is the reality of it.
"The venue has still got to be cleaned, security, whereas a smaller venue like Phillip Oval is a lot easier to contain crowd, rubbish, cleaning, infrastructure in a smaller venue.
"Its probably a bit more suited to the kind of crowds that we get for grand finals and finals."
AFL Canberra community football manager Garry Lawless has questioned the cost of ground hire in the region as he looks to cater for a boom in player numbers, with clubs battling to provide support for junior teams.
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Caden Helmers is a sports reporter for The Canberra Times
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