About

Club History

The Broadmeadows Sporting Club has provided entertainment, dining and other facilities to members and guests since 1973. It has a long history at its present location. The foundation stone of the club was laid by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 10th November 1975, in his last scheduled public function as Prime Minister.

The Club’s Board of Directors (BOD) has always had the view that what the community gives to the Club, should be returned to the community as much as possible. With community at the forefront, revenue generated has gone back into the local Broadmeadows and surrounding communities through sport and community group sponsorship.

Since 1993, the Broadmeadows Sporting Club has donated over $1.1 million to local community groups and sporting clubs. In addition to this, the Club has contributed almost $500,000 on the establishment, maintenance and improvements to the bowls green and pavilion.

Club Contributions

The Broadmeadows Sporting Club was established in 1973 to provide entertainment, dining and other facilities to members and guests, and with revenue generated from these activities, sponsor sport and community groups in Broadmeadows and surrounding localities.

Since 1993, the Broadmeadows Sporting Club has donated over $1.1 million to local Community Groups and Sporting Clubs. In addition to this, the Club has spent close to $500 000 on the establishment, maintenance and improvements to the bowls green and pavilion. This amount of $1.6 million to community and sporting groups would otherwise have had to come from Council or State Government funding.

Through the offer of free entertainment at the Club (Midweek Morning Melodies, Saturday Night Music in the Bistro, Sunday Afternoons in Summer), and the use of the free Courtesy Bus to members, Broadmeadows Sporting Club is providing a social outlet and connection for those who might otherwise not leave the house. By providing this free entertainment and transport, the Club is offering an alternative to Council services which can, at times, be over-stretched.

The Broadmeadows Sporting Club provides meeting areas free-of- charge to various community groups, allowing those groups which may not have their own facilities to meet in a professional environment.

In addition to these figures, in 2014 the Club donated $15,000 to the University of Canberra, to help fund a program making sport more accessible in underprivileged schools in the Broadmeadows area. These figures also do not include State Gaming Tax or Gaming Machine Entitlements, payable to the State Government, totaling millions of dollars.

Currently the Broadmeadows Sporting Club provides employment to over 20 people. These positions provide flexible employment options in the local area which might not otherwise be available. Through constant improvements, maintenance and upgrades, Broadmeadows Sporting Club engages local trades and businesses, thereby contributing to the growth of the local economy.

Prior to the establishment of the bowls green, there was NO bowls club in Broadmeadows / Jacana. The closest bowls clubs were Gladstone Park to the west, Glenroy to the south, and Craigieburn to the north. Although the green was established with Federal Government assistance, it was the Broadmeadows Sporting Club which identified the need for better sports facilities, lobbied for its establishment, and agreed to maintain and promote the green.

The Broadmeadows Sporting Club Board is made up of Club members, who bring a broad wealth of knowledge with them, from areas such as Finance, Banking, Liquor Gaming Wagering and Hospitality, and Government Services. These members give freely their time and experience, and do not get paid for their services. They do it purely to ensure the Club is run in an efficient and profitable manner, for the benefit of the members and the local community. The Club also relies on volunteers for various tasks, such as bowls meetings, competition and tournaments, raffles, punters clubs and the like. These tasks are completed on a voluntary basis to keep operating costs down, allowing the Club to distribute more funds to community groups. A conservative dollar value for these volunteer hours is in well in excess of $30,000.

The Victorian gaming industry is the most highly regulated gaming jurisdiction in the world. Broadmeadows Sporting Club, along with other stakeholders, is committed to implement regulations aimed at reducing the impact of problem gambling in our community. Our Club is committed to the Self-Exclusion Program (a World’s Best Practice), Your Play, The Responsible Service of Gambling training and certification, and our personalised relationship with our local Gambler’s Help team to name just a few regulated and codified initiatives.

A recent research paper drew in its conclusions that licensed clubs in Victoria contribute about 1.5% of gaming revenue to Community Benefits, a lot less than the 8.33% as required by law. This statement is totally and categorically false. All Clubs with gaming are required by law to lodge annual returns to the Gaming Regulator, with their books independently audited. The Board and Management want to assure our members and our local community that we have not only met, but exceeded, our obligations and are very proud of the ongoing contribution Broadmeadows Sporting Club makes to the physical and mental wellbeing of our local community. All Community Benefits declared in these reports must comply with Ministerial Directions. The authors of this “research paper” chose to ignore these figures, and instead edit the numbers to reflect their own biased agenda.

Sponsors

We have a strong link with our community and sponsor a number of local community and sports initiatives. We are proud to give back to our community.