Transition Plan to help pool users

At this meeting, the Albury Wodonga Aquatic Facilities put forward a transition plan to assist the clubs under which they would not be charged lane hire fees for the 2018-2019 year and also provided the fee structure for the next four years.

Starting from the 2019-20 season, the average water polo player would pay about $2.60 a week and a swimmer $5.42 a week for lane hire.

Lane hire fees are common across the industry and are not a new charge for the facilities but have been inconsistently applied to clubs and user groups.

Lane hire fees allow user groups to reserve dedicated space for their activities which does limit the space available to members of the public who also use the pool.

The councils engaged Aligned Leisure through a tender process to manage the four facilities and it is the councils’ role to ensure, as the contract manager, that the outcomes are in the best interests of our community and that fair and equitable access is maintained for all users.

To assist the clubs, the Albury Wodonga Aquatic Facilities have offered to significantly reduce the costs associated with hiring facilities for events with clubs able to generate income through the gate takings. The Albury Wodonga Aquatic Facilities have also indicated they are open to discuss revenue raising opportunities for the clubs inside the facilities including sponsorship signage, barbecues and raffles.

The Ovens and Murray Water Polo Association and the Ovens and Murray Swimming Association said Aligned Leisure showed a willingness to work with relevant associations.

The meeting was labelled as positive by all parties and the information presented will be taken back to the club committees.

As part of the transition, Aligned Leisure will continue to work with all clubs throughout this season with their requested lane allocations and continue to support the clubs and their members in participating and enjoy their sport.

An FAQ document has been developed to provide more information about the fees.