‘It can’t get any worse really’: Irish Club doing it tough after AFL move from Subi to Stadium
During footy seasons past, on any given game day, the Irish Club of WA in Subiaco would have been packed with punters.
Now the venue, off Hay Street, is at risk of closure.
While other businesses have weathered the storm, the Irish Club has been doing it tough since AFL games moved from Subiaco Oval to the new Perth Stadium at Burswood.
"The club has suffered tremendous losses," manager Gill Kenny said.
"We can no longer afford to pay for a full-time manager.
"Most of the people who are running the club behind the scenes are unpaid. We are running on a skeleton staff."
Ms Kenny is a busy mum of two, but has taken on a volunteer role at the club in a bid to save it.
"How could I watch the club fall away right before my eyes when it's important to me and to us as a community?" she said.
Time to move on from footy
Kim Knight manages the iconic Regal Theatre on Rokeby Road and is also chair of the local business group, SUBIaction.
She sympathised with venues that have fallen on hard times, but said the loss of footy came as no surprise and should not have caught any businesses off guard.
"Without sounding harsh, we all knew about it for years," Ms Knight said.
"There were a lot of businesses that prepared for that.
"Football will always be a part of Subiaco and part of our history, but as a business community I think it's time we move on from that and look for new opportunities and recreate ourselves.
"I feel like most of us are trying to look for a way forward; positive change, different branding, how we can approach this with a positive mindset and create something new from it."
Subiaco needs 'year-round economy': Mayor
Commercial vacancy rates in Subiaco remain high at about 24 per cent.
Subiaco Mayor Penny Taylor puts that down to challenging conditions for small businesses across the board, rather than the footy effect.
"Businesses everywhere are facing challenges," she said.
"They're challenges that aren't unique to Subiaco."
She said the City of Subiaco council is doing its bit. Next month it will hold a conference to help small businesses deal with disruption and embrace innovation.
It has also introduced free weekend and evening parking and has cut fees for alfresco dining.
Ms Taylor is optimistic that Subiaco's retail woes will turn around, particularly with the redevelopment of Subiaco Oval and the construction of a high school nearby that enrols its first students in 2020.
"Football in Subiaco was good for businesses for 20 odd days in the year," she said.
"We're going towards a year-round economy.
"We want businesses to thrive and bring people in every day of the week."
The prospect of a new school doesn't offer much comfort for the Irish Club.
It's banking on support from the public in order to keep its doors open and wants footy fans to continue to pop in for their pre-game pint.
"It's important that we reach out now and get support from the community," Gill Kenny said.
"It can't get any worse really. I hope."
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