HEARTLESS thieves have targeted sports clubs across Newcastle in a spate of break-ins that have left volunteers "distressed and devastated".
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This football season several clubs have reported late-night vandalism, ransacked canteens, theft of alcohol and electrical devices, as well as the destruction of parts of their clubhouses.
"Everyone is pretty gutted," Newcastle City Juniors AFC president Tim Parker told Newcastle Herald.
"I am so disappointed that someone in the community is doing this."
The Juniors, who play at No 1 Sportsground in Newcastle, have seen their canteen hit by thieves six times since May.
The most recent break-in was on Saturday night and the club estimates the damage bill plus the missing stock would total between $5000 and $10,000.
"Saturday night they broke internal doors," Mr Parker said.
"It just takes energy. You should be giving your time to something else more important, instead our volunteers are dealing with this."
The weekend also saw a break and enter at the Broadmeadow Magic clubhouse and canteen. Intruders broke in about 3am Sunday, smashing windows and making off with cartons of beer.
The offenders caused "thousands of dollars worth of damage" to the site before fleeing the scene, with CCTV handed over to police from the incident.
"It takes a special calibre of person to target volunteer organisations, we hope the law can catch up with them swiftly," a statement from the club on Monday said.
The Cooks Hill United Juniors Football Club's canteen at National Park was robbed in June, when thieves used a key to gain access to the site on two separate occasions taking food stock, sponsor's vouchers, wine and on the second break in they even took a safe, which unbeknown to them was empty.
It is not only AFL and soccer clubs targeted by thieves, with the Souths Junior Rugby League Football Club at Learmonth Park also hit back in June.
Juniors president Pete Maxwell said the thieves stole more than a thousand dollars of lollies, drinks and electricals from the club's canteen during the break and enter.
"To arrive there early on Saturday morning, with already a lot of work to do, and then have another thing to deal with, it is just disruptive and disappointing," he said.
"The people that are doing it need to realise it's the wrong thing to do. These are volunteer community organisations."
The club was hit the same weekend as the Merewether Carlton Rugby Union Club's 'green room' at Townson Oval.
The rugby club's facilities have been broken into three times this season, with glass doors smashed, the canteen raided and alcohol and cash taken from the premises.
Club president Luke Tresidder said during the first break-in of the season thieves smashed a glass door to enter the premises.
"It was a couple of thousand dollars to replace that," he said.
The second time thieves used a key that could have been stolen during the previous break-in. They "helped themselves to cash, electricals and food from the canteen".
The club changed the locks just in time, because the thieves came back two nights later and tried the key again only to find themselves locked out. They then broke the glass panels of the bar and stole alcohol.
"It is heartbreaking," he said.
"Everything is done by volunteers. We had to restock and repurchase time and time again. And these kids are just getting away with it."
The club handed over CCTV of the incidents to police, but the investigation is yet to result in any arrests or charges. Keys were used to gain access in at least three of the club break ins across the Newcastle region.
In all of these cases police said they were investigating the incidents "and where required, high-visibility patrols and taskings of the area were increased".
"Our message is clear - everyone in our community deserves to feel safe and our officers will be doing everything they can to catch those responsible, but we need everyone to play their part," a statement from NSW Police said.
"Importantly, we need residents to report any suspicious activity to local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000."
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery has launched a petition calling for City of Newcastle to allow sporting clubs to install CCTV to protect their property at council assets and facilities.
"There have been several incidents in recent months involving either theft or vandalism at council facilities," she said.
She said there was a "widespread demand for CCTV cameras".
In response to the petition City of Newcastle released the following statement: "Staff have on several occasions offered to work with Sonia Hornery to help sporting clubs in her electorate install CCTV. To date, Sonia has done nothing with these offers."
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Jessica Brown
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
