Rogers Park oval vandalised

Members of the Woy Woy Junior Rugby League Football Club are "devastated" by the recent vandalism attack to Rogers Park Oval, Woy Woy.

Brisbane Water Local Area Command duty officer Inspector Bruce McGregor said the incident occurred in the early hours of April 25.

According to Inspector McGregor, a stolen car was reported missing and later found by police in the centre on Rogers Park Oval.

He said the car was found bogged, burnt out and abandoned, and it appeared the driver had done some damage to the surface of the oval.

Woy Woy Junior Rugby League Football Club secretary Mr Russell Downey said the community members of the club, who have relocated to Rogers Park for home games, could not make sense of the attack on their fields.

"On a day that volunteers have put aside their time on our most revered holiday Anzac Day to improve facilities, not only for the club but the community, with a working bee to repaint the old toilet block covered in graffiti by previous attacks, it was a severe kick in the guts to see a car abandoned and burnt out by senseless hooligans," Mr Downey said.

"If this had been our first home game, we would have had to abandon the day and disappoint over 400 players plus their families.

"It seems like we may have to take the same action as our cricket clubs and guard our community assets ourselves on a night before game day placing a further strain on volunteers.

"The club has asked the council for assistance in this matter to provide bollards blocking entrance to the fields of Rogers Park by unauthorised vehicles, and the sooner this happens obviously the better.

"Our aim in relocating to Rogers Park is to continually improve the facilities on an area that is recognised as an extremely important open space not only for sporting clubs but the community itself, and this was evident in the support we received from the community on the day following this attack."

Gosford Council's coordinator of active open spaces Ms Karen Tucker said council were in the process of finalising plans to install bollards at Rogers Park when the vandals struck.

"Council is currently finalising plans to install bollards in Erina Ave and surrounding the sporting ground where vehicles may gain restricted access to," Ms Tucker said.

"Council expects work to be completed by the end of the financial year."

Scott Hastings, 1 May 2009 Interviewee: Bruce MacGregor, Brisbane Water Local Area Command Karen Tucker, Gosford Council Press release, 30 Apr 2009 Russell Downey, Woy Woy Junior Rugby League Football Club