We bought a footy oval

Kwinana Knight’s Bill Tregear speaks to Cameron Palmer

In a quiet part of Medina, a short five minute walk from the Kwinana Town centre, sits Medina Oval - a pretty suburban ground home to the Kwinana Districts Football Club.

It looks like any typical community ground you would find around Perth. With its well-manicured grass, homely club room and light towers casting their shadows across the field, you see a steady stream of locals walking the ground.

Unlike most community grounds and football clubs, this is not just home by name for the Kwinana Knights.  This is home by paper as well. The Kwinana Knights are the proud owners of Medina Oval.

Courtesy of some visionary committee members back in the 1970’s, the club were able to parlay some good fortune and a whole lot of hard work into a lasting legacy that has provided countless Kwinana footballers the place with which to embrace their community.

Bill Tregear former Club President, Secretary, Player, Trainer, Umpire, Cleaner and Club Bus Driver (Yes, Bill really has done all that at Kwinana!) recounts the origins of how they came to own a footy ground.

“Back in the 1970’s the local council was looking to offload Medina Oval and the committee members at the time saw it as an opportunity,” Tregear said.

“They used some cash reserves and each individually put up as guarantors to basically buy the oval, which we now maintain on a 99 year peppercorn lease.”

It did not stop with just buying the oval. The committee built the clubs rooms too.

Finally, after the vision, after the hard work, the Kwinana Knights had the oval and the club rooms, which remain the heart of the club for close to 50 years. Across those near 50 years, the club has endured tough times and celebrated good times.

In 2005, after a disappointing run of on-field performances and a tumultuous off-field period, the club was banned from the Peel Football League and essentially closed its doors.

As was the case in the 1970’s, good people got involved and ensured the club bounced back.  A year after folding, a change of scenery on-field and a fresh view off-field meant that the Kwinana Knights were back. Part of that fresh off-field approach meant embracing the local community and giving regularity to the club bar.

“Some of the volunteers took over running the bar and said we were going to open it every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday all year round,” Tregear said.

“As long as it was making $20 or $30 a night, he was happy to give up his time and help support the club.”

For 15 years that same principle has remained true. As long as the bar had customers, as long as it was making a few bucks, the bar would be open Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

“Tuesday’s are a bit quieter, but Thursday night we always get a good turnout for training,” Tregear said.

“There is a group of 10-15 past Presidents and committee members that take a spot out on the veranda and watch the boys.”

Medina Oval has been an important part of the Kwinana community. This is an oval that since joining the Perth Football League in 2014 has embraced local players as the backbone of a local community club. It is embracing young men and now young women in the Kwinana area. It is proud families represented through separate generations.

It is all made possible by its owners, the Kwinana Districts Football Club.

Darren Taylor and Bill Tregear, Mayor Carol Adams and Roger Cook launch lighting upgrades at Medina Oval. Photo Chloe Fraser courtesy of Sound Telegraph