Club History

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

HOW IT ALL BEGAN…

The suburb now known as Hammondville was originally founded in 1933 by minister and social reformer Robert Brodribb Hammond as a settlement for destitute families during the Great Depression.

Mr Hammond established a non-profit organisation called Hammond’s Pioneer Homes, which today we know better as HammondCare. Hammond’s Pioneer Homes included the building of 110 self-contained rural cottages on thirteen acres of cleared land between what is now Heathcote Road, and the Georges River.

Families were granted a cottage under a rent-purchase agreement, and they were required to use their land to grow food.

A local school was built soon after, and the community began to grow.

As more and more parents and young children moved into the area, the suggestion was made for the establishment of some local sporting teams. In October 1969, a small group of locals formed the Clark Kiln United Soccer and Sports Club.

FUN FACT

In 1962, British entertainer John Paul Young migrated from England and enrolled in Hammondville Public School in 6th grade. John Paul Young or JPY as he was better known had chart topping hits including “I Hate the Music” and “Yesterday’s Hero” in the mid 1970s.

Former politician John Hatton who was elected as an independent for the NSW Lower House seat of Shoalhaven for 22 years through the Askin, Lewis, Willis, Wran, Unsworth, Greiner and Fahey governments to 1995, and the late Jim Masterton, founder of Masterton Homes, also attended Hammondville Public School.

On 18 February 1970, the name was changed to Moorebank Sports Club, and the Department of the Army allowed the Club to use the old army parade grounds at Harris Creek for training and games.

The inaugural Committee held a registration day for boys’ soccer and girls’ netball, and the Committee overwhelmed by the number of children wanting to play. Incredibly, in its very first year, the new Club had enough players to field 11 soccer teams ranging in age from 6-years to 14-years, and five netball teams from 6-years to all-age.

To get these teams up and running, the founders of Moorebank Sports Club put their own names forward as guarantors to cover expenses related to player registrations and uniforms. They succeeded in sponsoring 16 teams in 1970 and finished the year with $200 in the bank.

Former President Wallace Brooks (1972)

Well, we are at the end of another season (and a most successful one). One of the first things I ask myself is “was it all worthwhile”… the many hundreds of miles covered and the many hours of worry and loss of sleep, the many hours spent working down on our home field and at Club meetings. Well, am glad to say “YES IT WAS!!” and as long as we have the small band of workers for our Club, Moorebank Sports Club will continue to grow and flourish from strength to strength”.

In 1973, the Moorebank sports Baseball-Softball Club was founded. In 1975, supported by a petition of 1,357 residents, Moorebank Sports Club approached Liverpool City Council about using the playing fields on Hammondville Park for its sporting clubs. It also recommended the Council apply to the Commonwealth for the acquisition of 16 hectares of adjoining land for the development of a multi-sports complex.

Soon after, with help from Club Members and government funding grants, Liverpool City Council upgraded Hammondville Park to make the complex a suitable base for sporting teams and it became the home of Moorebank Sports Club.

The following year in 1976, the Moorebank Rams Rugby League Club was founded, which was quickly followed in 1978, by the creation of the Moorebank Sports Cricket Club.

By 1978, all the sporting codes under the Moorebank Sports Club umbrella were making a concerted effort to raise funds to develop the Hammondville Park complex. It was decided that a governing body should be established to oversee the financial management of the five sporting codes.

On 26 February 1981, Moorebank Sports Club Ltd was established. It was administered by a board of 11 Directors and was designed to ensure each of the codes was being run fairly and were financially viable.

When the Sporting Codes received funds from their canteen or fundraising initiatives, that money was passed on to Moorebank Sports Club Ltd to hold. If the Codes needed money for uniforms or canteen supplies, they in turn, applied for funding from the governing body which then distributed the money, as needed.

In the early 80s, Robert Fleeton – who would go on to become Moorebank Sports Club’s longest serving President - was volunteering for the rugby league club.

When my son was involved in rugby league, I coached and managed teams for several years. I was then approached to go to the Annual General Meeting one year and walked away as the Treasurer of the rugby league club that night.

A little while later, we were at a rugby league meeting one night and a bloke said to me they wanted me to run for the board. I initially said no but I ended up walking away that night as President.

Basically, the role was to ensure the codes were being run fairly, to distribute funding to the codes when they needed it, and to chair the annual meeting”.

For many years, the idea of building a licenced club had been talked about amongst the codes and the Board of Moorebank Sports Club Ltd.

Roger Crowfoot who was President of Moorebank Sports Club Ltd in 1988 says the Board was able to purchase a pocket of land at Hammondville Park.

At the time, it was owned by a church and if I recall correctly, it was sold to Moorebank Sports Club Ltd for one dollar. It was just vacant land at that time and the church couldn’t do anything with it, so they were happy to give it to us.

The whole process to acquire the land took about two years, and in the years that followed, we worked with Council to get the go-ahead to build the Club. Even back then, the carpark was a contentious issue because Council wanted us to develop some of it, which was out of our projected budget. But we managed to reach an agreement in the end”.

ROBERT FLEETON RECALLS THE CHAIN OF EVENTS

“The catalyst for getting a licensed club was rugby league. They had a competition called the Metro Cup which was the highest level a small club like the Moorebank Rams could play at.

pay the players – if we put our houses up as guarantee.

As you can imagine, most of the Directors on the board were hesitant to go ahead with that! So, we went away and tried to find another way to get these funds.

A bloke approached rugby league club President Terry Reynolds and I about putting a side in the Metro Cup, but we needed funding to be involved. One of the conditions from NSWRL was that we paid our players, either by bank guarantee or via a licenced club.

At the time, Moorebank Sports Club Ltd had some money in the bank from the codes and the bank balance was looking pretty healthy. The soccer club had also recently applied for a significant funding grant from the government.

The idea for the licenced club had been discussed previously but nothing was in the pipeline at that stage.

Call it divine intervention, but when the government sent the cheque for that grant, they accidentally addressed it to the wrong account, and put it into the Moorebank Sports Club Ltd account instead of sending it to the soccer club.

So, Terry and I got Baseball Club President Barry Dodd involved because he was good with figures and the three of us tried to find ways to raise enough funds to enter a team into the Metro Cup, even though we didn’t have a licenced club at this stage.

With the cash that was in the account for Moorebank Sports Club Ltd and through other fundraising initiatives, we managed to collect enough money to enter. But now we had to pay the players ongoing.

In the meantime, we had connected with a guy at the Commonwealth Development Bank (which became a subsidiary of CommBank in the 1990s). We approached him with all of this money in our account, and we were approved for a $500,000 loan to build a licenced club, which meant we could have our team in the Metro Cup.

We got some cash from sponsors of the rugby league club, and we then approached Westpac Bank, which was looking after the account for Moorebank Sports Club Ltd. The bank said they would lend us the cash to

So, our entry into the Metro Cup and the funding for the licenced club was ultimately financed by soccer, through their government grant. We did eventually get some backing from Canterbury League Club and Liverpool Council also gave us some funding to get the project off the ground”.

Ann Cook was the Treasurer of Moorebank Sports Club Ltd from 1986-91 and recalls the time and effort that went in to getting the Metro Cup project off the ground.

There was a lot that went on behind the scenes to make this happen that the average member wouldn’t have been aware of. Back then, it really was a boy’s club and when you put a bunch of strong-minded footy players in a room together, you can only imagine some of the conversations!

But common sense prevailed and after several months of working out the finances and the logistics of getting a team up and running, we made it happen”.

FUN FACT

Moorebank Rams played their first season in 1992 and made the semi-finals. They remained in the competition until 1999. Today, the Moorebank Rams act as the ‘feeder club’ to the Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL.

“We also did deals with furniture houses to see if they would give us a deal. And we got our hands on 12 pokie machines but didn’t have much money left in the kitty to put money in them. So, Bob collected his change from the milk run he did, and he put that cash into the machines to get them going. They were only 20c machines back then!”

In the minutes from Moorebank Sports Club Ltd’s Annual General Meeting of the 9 November 1993, President Robert Fleeton provided an update.

The past year has been a very good year for Moorebank Sports Club Ltd. Your board of Directors finally elected a builder to start building your licenced club. All the years that it has been talked about and it has finally come to be. I know in last year’s report I said that this year’s AGM would be held in our new licenced club, but circumstances have held us up and hopefully the club will be finished in February-March 1994. So, next year’s AGM will definitely be held in the new club.

“The financial side of the club, as you can see, ran at a loss due to the club being built. We thank all the codes for a loan of their money, and I know they realise it is only for their benefit in the long term”.

MOOREBANK GETS A LICENCED CLUB…

On 16 June 1994, Moorebank Sports Club was issued a licence to trade and one week later, on 21 June 1994, it commenced trading.

The Club was officially opened on 14 August 1994 by its patrons the Hon. Robert Tickner MP and Mr Ron Hollands.

The Board of Directors from Moorebank Sports Club Ltd became the Board that would oversee the licenced club. They appointed Cedric Wilson as Club Manager (known as Secretary Manager back then).

The Club itself was a small rectangular building the size of the current (2024) bistro kitchen and dining area. It featured a small kitchen, indoor dining space, bathrooms, and a small space for a handful of gaming machines.

In 1992, the Board managed to secure a bank guarantee against the value of the land to build the licensed club, which allowed them entry into the Metro Cup.

Barry Dodd recalls it then took several years of planning before building commenced.

Most of the tradesmen we used were either members of the club or local residents… the plumber had a son who played rugby league, our electrician and aircon guys were locals. We also loved going to auction houses! We got our first bar and the fridge second-hand from the Gaelic Club in Merrylands. We had to go and pull it out of the old club ourselves and then get it to Moorebank and install it ourselves!

FUN FACT

The front entry to the original club is where the electronic doors from the outdoor alfresco area into the indoor dining area currently are.

President Bob Fleeton says the first day was pretty quiet.

I remember the day we opened. It wasn’t packed. If we could have fit 100 people in the club, we would have had 50 people in there.

But in the days and weeks that followed, those numbers crept up pretty quickly. Barry (Dodd) and I and a few of the other Directors came down every single day to make sure everything was running smoothly”.

The Board of Directors at the time were:

ROBERT FLEETON

President

BARRY DODD

Secretary

ROGER CROWFOOT

Vice President

RALPH GIBBONS

Treasurer

NEIL CLANCY, JOSEPH GAUCI, DAVID GRANTHAM, TERRY REYNOLDS, DON SYME, AND PETER WILKIE

Directors

CEDRIC WILSON

Secretary Manager

STEPHEN TAYLOR, DEANGELIS, TAYLOR & ASSOCIATES

Architect

WAYNE OXFORD, PARK ROAD DEVELOPMENT

Construction Manager

LIFE MEMBERS (1994)

Courtney Douglas

Wallace Brooks

Maurice Jones

Bonita Jones

Grant Fulton

Robert Hidson

Victor Smithers

Rod Hodkinson

Neil Clancy

Ron Hollands

Alan Cook

Peter Levy

Ann Cook

Roger Crowfoot

Ralph Gibbons

Dominic Syme

In Moorebank Sports Club’s first Annual Report, President Bob Fleeton commented on its early success.

The Club has traded better than expected and I hope it continue to get better. It will be a while yet before the codes can expect any real benefits as the building has to be paid for, and already the club is too small.

I would like to thank all codes and their administrators on a job well done, and also their help during the construction of the club, for at times without their help, the Club would have struggled financially”.

Treasurer Barry Dodd says because the Codes were all invested in the licenced club, they knew it would be successful.

From day one, the licenced club was making money. The sporting codes were onboard because they understood that the money they had contributed to the setup of the Club through Moorebank Sports Club Ltd would eventually be paid back to help them improve their sports. We were always about the kids. It was always about kids playing sport at Hammondville Park.

And it didn’t take long to see it was making a difference. The codes started to grow. People were choosing to play for Moorebank Sports Club because the fees were less, we had better facilities, better changerooms. We could do that because of the licenced club”.

SPORTIES GETS A MAKEOVER…

In 1998, Sporties underwent its first major renovation to provide a bigger venue with more amenities for the local community. The single-room building was extended on three sides to include a new foyer, a lounge area and auditorium, a sports bar and TAB, a separate gaming room, and an outdoor terrace. The existing Club became the bistro.

Bob Fleeton says overall, the renovation was well-received by the community.

This extension really changed the club. It changed the number of people that were coming in and it changed the amount of money we were making, that we could then put back into the sporting codes and the community.

At the time, did think maybe we had gone a little bit too big. But now looking back, we could have gone bigger. If I had my time again, I would have doubled the size of the renovation.

You’re always going to get a few people who are opposed to something but in general, everyone could see the Club was something that was needed in the area. As the community grew, the need for a bigger, better venue did too.

The army base has always given us a lot of patronage. You could always tell when the teams got back from oversees because there would be a spike in visitation that week!”

been largely internal with some small extensions to the exterior. FUN FACT

The 1998 footprint of the renovated Club remains the same now. Any renovations since then have

2010

In 2010-11, Moorebank Sports Club underwent another major renovation to offer Members and guests an even wider array of services. Upon completion, the venue featured three bars, a 200-seat brasserie, alfresco dining area, indoor supervised children’s play area, lounge areas, outdoor entertaining decks, and a children’s outdoor playground.

In 2013, Moorebank Sports Club trademarked the name ‘Sporties’ which was the nickname locals had been using for the Club for many years.

2014

In early 2014, Moorebank Sports Club undertook a renovation of its outdoor space, transforming an area at the back of the Club into a community garden and farmyard. Fruit trees and vegetables were planted in the garden beds and guests were encouraged to help themselves, while the farm included chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, and local favourite – Peter the Goat.

Peter would spend the next six years at the Sporties farm enjoying attention from kids and getting a run on the neighbouring football field during the day, before retiring to a farm on the NSW Central Coast in December 2017.

Later that year, frustrated that conversations with Liverpool Council about expanding the Club’s footprint at Hammondville Park were not progressing, Moorebank Sports Club purchased 14,000sqm of land on the corner of Rodeo Drive and Gregory Hills Drive in Gregory Hills, with the long-term plan to build a licenced venue.

The Board had identified this location in Sydney’s southwest as an area primed for future growth and development, seeing the value in a long-term investment there.

Over the next few years, the Board set about planning the new site and in June 2017, the DA was approved by Camden Council for a new Club.

At this time, Moorebank Sports Club was still in a very strong financial position and was looking to further diversify its operations.

2017

In early 2017, Kareela Golf and Social Club tendered for expressions of interest to amalgamate The Sporties Board submitted an offer for amalgamation and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in July 2017, with the formal amalgamation of Kareela Golf Club into the Sporties Group being finalised on 1 December 2017.

Moorebank Sports Club began to invest in operations at Kareela, introducing new systems, new plant equipment, and minor building upgrades, including a new Kids Room.

Within two years, Moorebank Sports improved operations at the Kareela venue, now named Sporties at Kareela and turned its financial losses into profits.

In February 2019, the licence for a new Club at the Gregory Hills site was granted, and the decision was made to re-engage Liverpool Council about buying more land at Hammondville Park.

In July 2019, Cronulla Sharks Leagues Club announced they were shutting their Woolooware Club adjacent to Endeavour Field (now known as Shark Park), to rebuild their main venue, which was scheduled to reopen in 2021. They lodged an expression of interest for a Club within the Sutherland Shire to become the ‘Home of the Sharks’ while the renovations took place at their main venue.

Moorebank Sports Club engaged in negotiations with the Sharks about taking over at Kareela and in 2020, the transfer was agreed to, with the de-amalgamation of Kareela being finalised on 29 June 2020.

In 2020, Moorebank Sports Soccer Club celebrated its 50th anniversary.

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC… 2020

2020 would prove to be one of the most challenging years ever faced by the Club, and the wider hospitality industry. Little did everyone know the impact COVID-19 would have.

On 25 January 2020, the first case of the virus was reported in Australia and by the end of the month, the World Health Organisation had declared a global health emergency.

On 15 March 2020, the Australian government announced the cancellation of all major events with more than 500 people, and by 18 March 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced more restrictions including a ban on non-essential indoor gatherings of 100 people or more, and social distancing requirements of 1.5m.

On Monday 23 March 2020, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced her intention to shut down all non-essential businesses across NSW within 48 hours, including clubs and pubs.

For the first time since 21 June 1994, Sporties shut its doors with no certainty on when they would reopen.

At the forefront of the Club’s minds was the welfare of Members and the Club’s employees. The Board made a commitment to continue to pay its workforce for the first two weeks of the lockdown, before the announcement of the government’s Jobkeeper program, which was a welcome relief.

The Club also tried to keep their employees engaged to make sure no one felt isolated or alone. Management offered a range of support initiatives including fortnightly Woolworths vouchers, a family fun trivia event with another registered Club, guessing competitions, remote yoga and relaxation sessions, weekly updates on Club operations and government guidelines, and telephone check ins by managers.

After a month of complete closure, Sporties made the decision to commence takeaway trade, in line with government regulations and social distancing requirements.

Sporties launched this on ANZAC Day 2020, traditionally the Club’s busiest day of the year, and a day that holds so much meaning for our army community.

Management reached out to staff and offered them a few hours of work, and the majority jumped at the chance to get out of the house and see other people.

On 25 April 2020, the Club recommenced bar and food service, offering takeaway 1L Growlers of beer, shakeand-serve cocktails, and takeaway meals including wings and burgers.

Sporties still wasn’t allowed to let Members and guests inside the venue so one-by-one, they came to reception to place their order, and then headed out to the carpark to wait.

The community welcomed the opportunity to get out of the house and briefly cross paths with their neighbours and friends, who they hadn’t seen for weeks. Staff were on hand to ensure everyone complied with social distancing rules but overall, it felt like a little bit of that community connection was being restored.

In May 2020, the state government began easing a number of restrictions and pubs and clubs were allowed to reopen for dining, with social distancing measures in place.

And on 1 June 2020, hospitality venues were allowed to return to full operations – with some capacity restrictions in place - which was a welcome relief to Members, staff, and the wider community.

In October 2020, after more than 28 years as President of Sporties and after navigating through the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Bob Fleeton resigned and handed over the reins to Laurie Willoughby.

Laurie would then lead the Club through one of the most challenging times in our Club’s history.

On 26 June 2021, following a surge in cases in NSW, the government began enforcing restrictions again for Greater Sydney, and Sporties was forced to close its doors for a second time.

The Club was closed for 15 weeks.

During this time, the Club continued to engage with staff who were again stood down, and kept Members entertained during lockdown with virtual badge draws and virtual raffles.

On 11 October 2021, the Club was allowed to reopen.

The COVID-19 pandemic lasted almost three years until September 2022, when all restrictions were removed, and life returned to normal.

In the months following the end of the pandemic, Sporties worked hard to recoup the losses suffered during lockdowns. Due to the Board and Senior Executive’s solid financial management and ongoing engagement with the community, the Club recovered quite well and was back to normal trading levels within a few months.

In addition to leading Sporties through the COVID crisis, Laurie continued discussions with Liverpool Council about the redevelopment of Hammondville Park, while also working on the opportunity at Gregory Hills.

In October 2022, Alby Taylor took over as President and the Board set to work on a refurbishment of the venue which had been postponed for several years due to the COVID lockdowns.

2024

In 2024, as we approach the 30th anniversary of our Club opening, the Club has just completed arguably is biggest ever refresh with a full-club renovation totalling in excess of $6m.

Your new club is starting to take shape and we can’t wait to unveil the finished product later this month!

Our new Auditorium is open for business which includes the new TAB and Sports Bar. Previously, the space at the northern end of the Auditorium was quite closed off and secluded and didn’t really align with the open-plan concept we had in mind for our new-look venue. So, we removed a wall to open up the area at the back of the room, we installed a new LED screen which is visible from the Auditorium seating area, and we created a new sports bar to enhance the guest experience.

We are still awaiting the delivery of new furniture for the Auditorium and expect this to arrive by the completion of Stage Two renovation works.

The main bathrooms between the Lounge and Auditorium areas have been completely refurbished with a sleek new design. Inspired by our military connections, the metal finishes and lightning strike lighting design make a bold statement we think you’ll really love!

The alfresco dining area has been given a facelift, with new banquet seating and upholstery, updated LED lighting, and new tiles.

And part of the gaming room has been redesigned to provide members and guests with additional space, with new carpet, a new cashier area, and more room between machines.

One of the most exciting changes we’re making during these renovations is a rebrand of Indulge Bistro. The new name will be ‘Lighthorse Kitchen’, paying homage to the mounted brigade at the Holsworthy Army Barracks, which used to train on the land where our Club now stands. On Point Catering will continue to run the kitchen, providing delicious high-quality meals for members and guests to enjoy.

Stage Two of the renovations are well underway which includes the second half of the gaming room, the final touches in the main lounge area, including the installation of a new big screen TV, the bistro dining room, the Half Time Diner terrace, and the front reception.

All renovations are due to be completed by 22 April, just in time for ANZAC Day!

SPORTIES TODAY…

Over the years, Moorebank Sports Club has contributed millions of dollars in funding to support local sporting codes and community groups. What started as a venue to build a social club and support rugby league, has expanded enormously to include the support of not only rugby league, but now also netball, soccer, cricket, and baseball.

In 2024, some 1,638 players from under-6 to open age engage in sport under the “Sporties” banner.

The Club has provided $1,491,783 in sponsorship across the above listed sporting codes, over the past 12 years.

One of the most memorable community moments in recent years was the 2018 bushfires, which saw the Club take in evacuees from Moorebank, Wattle Grove, Voyager Point, and Hammondville, while also becoming an emergency services command post.

In July 2023, Bob Fleeton resigned from the Board due to health concerns. Bob left an undeniably legacy on the community by creating a Club that is the cornerstone of the Community.

Reflecting on his time as President of Moorebank Sports Club, Bob Fleeton says he never could have imagined the Club would be as successful as it is today.

When I look back, don’t really know what I expected. think I was just hoping it would grow and the community would embrace it and love it.

I remember on the very first day we opened, I was sitting there with my wife and some friends, and a bloke said to me – ‘oh you’re not going to borrow any more money now, are you?’

I said – ‘are you kidding me?’. If I could go borrow another hundred thousand dollars right now, I would. I could see the potential of the club and how popular it was, even on the very first day. But some people can’t see that”.

We didn’t do any of this to make a name for ourselves, we did it because it needed to be done. We did it because we wanted to do it”.