LOCAL sports clubs have been left confused after receiving a letter from the ACT Government reflecting a 54 per cent increase to sporting ground fees, which could see them trying to find an extra $7000 per year.

And yet, despite the notices being sent, Sport Minister Andrew Barr told “CityNews” he has not yet signed off on the increase.

President of the Woden Valley Soccer Club, John Brooks, says his was one of the clubs that has received an notice outlining an increase to sports ground fees to $6.40 per hour from April 1, up from $4.15 the year before.

“While it doesn’t sound like much initially, the costs add up,” Mr Brooks says.

“We have six or seven fields that are trained on for around three hours each day from Monday to Friday… if they’re all $6.40 per hour, we worked it out to be an extra $7000 per year. Other clubs bigger than us will have to pay even more than that.”

Mr Brooks says there was no prior consultation from the Government about the increase.

“We set our club fees for players and families early in the year, and then we find this out… I’m not sure how we are going to find the money other than fundraising as we can’t charge extra now, it’s too late,” he says.

“It’s extremely frustrating, as the old costs are still on the [department’s] website, so there was no way of knowing until we were hit with the notice.”

But Mr Barr says while a notice has been sent out, he is yet to see an increase schedule.

“While I am aware Sport and Recreation Services have notified some clubs they anticipate an increase, this has not been approved and I am yet to consider any increases,” he says.

Mr Barr says increases may vary to adjust to the fee structure of junior sport being charged at half the rate of senior sport.

“The increases are a small cost when you consider that it does go back to improving the sporting community, and that’s what the Government is committed to,” he says.

Shadow Minister for Sport Steve Doszpot says Mr Barr’s response is “the stuff of ‘Monty Python’.”

“On the one hand, we have clubs telling us that ground fees are a huge impost, and on the other, we have a minister who says they are a mere trifle,” he says.

“To send out a notice increasing fees by 54 per cent without consultation, without even signing off on it, is not good enough, it could even be bordering on illegal.”

Mr Brooks says if the increase goes ahead, it may affect registration numbers.

“If they go up again next year, the only way we can cover these increases is through fees charged to players and families,” he says.

“It’s not necessarily the only charge for people to play – we offer programs and things like that, anything more just starts to add up. People might question the value.”