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A lewd act that went viral around the globe almost sounded the end of an Aussie rules football club that boasted a proud 50-year history.
The full fallout from the viral video, which showed a Glen Waverley Football Club player performing a sex act on another male player at a Melbourne pub, can now be revealed months after the sickening display made worldwide coverage.
On Thursday, City of Monash chief executive officer Dr Andi Diamond told Daily Mail Australia it had no choice but to step in after reports of ‘inappropriate and concerning behaviour’ at the club’s end of season event.
‘Council staff met with management of the club to seek clarity about steps being put in place to ensure something like this does not happen again,’ Dr Diamond told Daily Mail Australia.
Shocking footage has emerged from a footy club’s raucous Mad Monday celebrations where one young man performed a sex act on his teammate
The Mountain View Hotel was identified as the venue due to its distinctive carpet and multiple billiard tables
Those steps, according to the Herald Sun, went so far as to boot the club out of its council-owned clubrooms.
In a letter sighted by the Melbourne newspaper, the council highlighted clauses in the club’s contract involving inappropriate behaviour and how at any time it could withdraw the use of a facility.
‘Council seeks to understand what action the club will take to ensure that club behaviours align with Council policy to ensure eligibility for future use of Council facilities,’ the letter was reported to state.
Dr Diamond refused to address with Daily Mail Australia just how hard the council was prepared to punish the club for its humiliating blight on the municipality.
The old stadium at VFL Park remains in place 23 years after it hosted its last ever crowd of AFL fans. Glen Waverley Football Club is just down the road from this sacred AFL site
But he did make it clear those within the council were outraged by what went on within the Mountain View Hotel.
‘Council understands the event was not sanctioned by management, however we have clear expectations of how clubs based at Council facilities should operate both on and off the field,’ Dr Diamond said.
At the time of the incident, news reports had described the behaviour as being so vile, so public and so over-the-top that it would forever be linked to not only the club, but the entire suburb.
Located just down down the road from the famous VFL Park in Melbourne‘s south east, Glen Waverley Football Club had enjoyed a respected reputation before the Mad Monday binge made headlines around the planet.
The club had been revered as one that produced top AFL talent.
The Pickering brothers, both Justin and Michael, went onto become champion footballers with Richmond.
One of the Glen Waverley player’s lost a bet to his teammate – forced to perform the lewd act in the middle of a packed public pub
Patrons claimed the team smashed glasses inside and outside the pub, vaped indoors, stole drinks from behind the bar, and danced on tables.
They further claimed bathrooms were damaged and covered in vomit and players were abusive to other customers.
But what happened beside a pool table that day will add the Glen Waverley Football Club onto every list of Mad Monday disgraces for decades to come.
The story goes when one player lost a bet to another he was forced to perform a sex act in the pub.
That act, in all its depravity, was captured on video by another team member, whose decision to share the hilarity sent the footage viral within hours.
The winner, dressed in a sea captain’s white jacket adorned with medals, was filmed standing legs spread with his undies down while the loser dropped to his knees and carried out the act.
‘Suck it’ a man was heard shouting as another player dressed in convict orange went in for a better look.
A young player wearing a Geelong jumper watched on.
The 12-second video quickly spread within local footy circles and by the next day was in the hands of Melbourne journalists.
The story, which first appeared in Melbourne’s Herald Sun, was picked-up instantly by national news sites before being splashed across world famous celebrity website TMZ.
Before long the New York Post was running the story as were a number of other news sites spread across the planet.
Just punching ‘Glen Waverley’ into Twitter provides countless tweets referring to the club’s twisted antics within the Mountain View.
Club president Matt Hollard told Daily Mail Australia back in August the team’s behaviour during end of season celebrations on August 14 threatened to derail the past 20 years of work building the club up.
‘As much as I’m very concerned about the players, I’m the president of the football club – that means everybody within the club – so my concern is huge and it’s draining and we’ve got to do the best we can to deal with a horrible situation,’ he said.
Mr Hollard told the Herald Sun many sponsors were quick to drop the club as parents withdrew their kids from the junior ranks.
With finals approaching, the club risked being booted from its ‘premier’ facilities at Central Reserve.
Sales of finals booze had helped keep the club afloat for years.
When the club tried to explain how it was dealing with the mess, the council reportedly told the president the decision had been made to move them to Wellington Reserve in Mulgrave and suspend its liquor licence.
‘For a club that is in a very changing demographic with an Indian-Asian population, if we didn’t have those finals the club wouldn’t survive,’ Mr Hollard told the newspaper.
Patrons and staff within the Mountain View Hotel were rightfully appalled about how the Glen Waverley Football Club players behaved themselves on August 14
Richmond’s Michael Pickering has been a poster boy for the Glen Waverley Football Club since the 80s
‘We don’t have enough numbers for the club to survive by itself. Those finals games basically put a bit of kitty in our bank at the end of each year to move forward.’
Behind the scenes, the club board was under fire from within as the players turned against it.
An emergency meeting held in the wake of the scandal did not go to plan, with senior players walking-out amid accusations the club was not looking after the mental health of those directly involved.
Mr Hollard had told Daily Mail Australia the club had offered support to the men who featured in the video and refuted reports at the time that one of the men had been dumped on-the-spot by his wife.
‘That’s absolutely not true,’ he said.
On November 11, the club announced an entirely new coaching team for 2023.
The announcement came with a blurb stating the team would help ‘rebuild our club with excitement and pride in providing an inclusive & inspiring culture and a passionate commitment whilst we also celebrate our 50th year’.
At the time of that announcement, the club was still facing a very uncertain future.
According to the Herald Sun, the council decided to allow the club to remain at its home ground just days ago after it made a passionate plea to the mayor and other councillors.
Dr Diamond told Daily Mail Australia the council was now satisfied with how those in charge had handled the crisis.
‘Council staff are comfortable with the way the club has managed this matter, including a commitment to cultural changes, plans for a new coaching structure, the expansion of the football club committee, and expected junior and senior player uptake for the 2023 season. The club will continue to operate at its current venue,’ he said.
While the scandal saw about 30 players ditch the club, it will go into next season looking to have an U/19s team for the first time.
‘That video nearly killed us but we can now say we’re about to launch into a new era with a new culture,’ Mr Hollard said.
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