In its 25 years of existence, Joondalup United Football Club has gone through testing times and is now without a genuine home to call its own.
The problems began in 2017, when JUFC was promoted to the NPL and forced to share Percy Doyle Reserve with Sorrento. This came after residents objected to upgrades to Beldon Park, which would have met the NPL ground requirements.
Then, more than $3 million was allocated for the creation of a home ground at Heathridge’s Prince Regent Park, but that, too, was abandoned after a consultation revealed that “the people of Heathridge did not want it.”
“If we had a permanent ground, I personally believe we’d still be in the NPL,” Head Coach, Nick Jennings stated via PerthNow.
“All the money the team had was going towards another club because we were paying them rent. If we had our own ground, money would be coming to us. You are playing a rival on their ground and you are paying them.”
“Every year we were told better facilities are for elite clubs, then when we became an elite club it became about community clubs and giving them the facilities.”
The City of Joondalup announced that it has worked closely with JUFC to find a venue that met their needs, but the area’s minimal number of pitches have proven to be a major stumbling block.
“There are limited available playing fields and clubroom facilities within the city and trying to accommodate the needs of all our clubs and community groups is an ongoing challenge,” Joondalup CEO James Pearson said via PerthNow.
“The city invests heavily in its community venues, including ongoing clubroom, changeroom and floodlight upgrades, to ensure all groups have access to fit-for-purpose facilities.
“We will continue to work with the club and other stakeholders towards finding a resolution that is satisfactory to JUFC and all relevant parties.”
Despite a 20-year history of producing football talent and a healthy junior set-up, club president Ghaz Ramli discussed the difficulty they face in holding onto local talent given the wealth of reputable clubs with better-suited facilities in the Northern Suburbs:
“Every year we struggle to retain players, as well as sign junior players. It’s a very competitive catchment: you got Sorrento down the road, you got Joondalup City up the road and you got Perth Red Star across the road,” added via PerthNow.
But despite these “wide-ranging problems across all venues,” JUFC, who currently reside at Forrest Park, will be vying for a playoff spot as they attempt to re-enter the coveted NPL WA.
