By Oliver Lees
Sunbury United Football Club has been dealt a double-blow, with its clubrooms robbed while the season remains on hold due to lockdown restrictions.
The offenders, who are still unidentified, broke into the clubrooms at Langama Park on Mitchells Lane by forcibly removing and breaking into a secure key box on the property, Sunbury United president Greg Czapnik said.
The offenders also spray painted over the club’s censored lights around the building to avoid detection, he said.
A coffee machine valued at $5000 was taken during the break-in.
Mr Czapnik said it was “devastating” to find the doors breached and the floor flooded when he visited the clubrooms on Friday, August 20.
“It was very distressing to be brutally honest,” Mr Czapnik said.
“It leaves a really sour taste in the mouth, we run on volunteers who do their best to put on a season for kids.
“When you’re a community club you’re planning [financially] year to year, you rely on the generosity of your members to be able to do things for our kids, so when this happens it’s devastating.”
The Hume Crime Investigation Unit is investigating the burglary.
A spokesperson said the offence occurred between Tuesday, August 17 and Friday, August 20.
Mr Czapnik said there was no clear CCTV footage of the incident.
Sunbury United’s season has been repeatedly put on hold for the past two seasons, as lockdown restrictions have forced the cancellation of community sport.
Mr Czapkink said given that the club’s junior and senior teams had not taken to the pitch since the end of July, the clubrooms had been left unattended for days before the incident.
“We’ve had a decrease in sponsors through COVID-19 which we understand because businesses are struggling just as much as clubs are,” he said.
“There’s actually been a positive response through lockdown with an increase in younger players as a lot of young families are moving to Sunbury.
“But [lockdown restrictions] are not good for any club, this stop-start, stop-start. Everyone wants to go out again and play sport, but I think even if we do it’ll be short lived.”
If you have information on the incident, contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
