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The Perth Football League (PFL) has moved to suspend the Osborne Park Football Club for two years after one of its players attended a post-season function dressed as the scientist Stephen Hawking, with the outfit also featuring images that ‘depicted child pornography’.
The player’s costume has since been revealed, with league bosses expressing their disgust at the outfit, describing it as a ‘line in the sand moment’.
Following a meeting on Monday, Osborne Park Football Club was found to have breached the PFL’s integrity standards.
It came after City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin, last month, alleged that a player from the football club had attended the ‘silly Sunday’ party wearing the costume. He described it as ‘a gaming chair set-up with screens... with images photocopied depicting child pornography’.
Irwin made the claim as the footy club had its licence cancelled and police were called after the unnamed player attended the function in August dressed as scientist Stephen Hawking.
Images of the costume have now been released online and depict the player sitting in what appeared to be an office chair.
The Perth Football League (PFL) has moved to suspend the Osborne Park Football Club for two years after one of its players attended a post-season function dressed as the scientist Stephen Hawking
The individual had a mock electronic communication device fastened to the chair, similar to the one that Hawking, who suffered from motor neurone disease, had used
The individual had a mock electronic communication device fastened to the chair, similar to the one that Hawking, who suffered from motor neurone disease, had used.
Offensive images had been pasted onto the communication device's screen. The image, which had been doctored, featured a mock of the website Pornhub and had the words ‘child porn videos’ inscribed on it.
Images on the screen show non-pornographic images of a child, who is understood to be the player in question, displayed as video thumbnails.
'This device was left in club rooms despite knowing the City of Stirling had to send staff there the next day (August 21) for an inspection,' Irwin told the ABC.
ABC reports that the workers were left ‘upset’ upon finding the costume.
The award-winning theoretical physicist, Hawking, who hailed from Oxford in England, was diagnosed with a slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease at the age of 21. The illness would leave him paralysed. The scientist passed away in 2018, at the age of 76.
Newly-appointed Osborne Park Football Club president Jeremy LaBianca posted to the club's Facebook page saying a player wore a costume that was 'distasteful and unacceptable' during Silly Sunday celebrations.
'As a club, we are really embarrassed that we allowed this to happen and that we didn't intervene on the day,' he wrote.
Following a meeting on Monday, Osborne Park Football Club were found to have breached the PFL’s integrity standards
'Let me be absolutely clear - this behaviour does not reflect the values or culture we stand for at Osborne Park, and we unreservedly apologise for the offence caused.'
Mr LaBianca took exception to Mr Irwin's take on the incident, saying the photo that was part of the costume featured the player who was wearing it.
'The allegation of child pornography hits me really hard, as it does for many members of our community who are parents, own businesses and have public-facing roles. It's incredibly important to us to clarify this point,' he said.
'I would like to ask for some understanding on the impact this situation is having across our community of players and supporters.'
At a recent PFL meeting, it was decided that the conduct at an end-of-season event at Robinson Reserve breached a league by-law as 'being detrimental to the integrity of the league and bringing the game into disrepute'.
The club failed to provide a submission to the board after being asked to do so, even though it claimed it was cooperating with the league.
PFL chief executive Andrew Dawe said: 'At a club-sanctioned event, offensive material was displayed depicting a doctored image of a child in a pornographic context.'
'Senior club officials were present but failed to act. The costume prop was later found by City of Stirling officers, prompting police attendance and the City terminating the club's agreement to use the facilities,' Mr Dawe said.
Nobel Prize winner, Hawking (pictured), was a theoretical physicist who hailed from Oxford in England. At the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with a slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease, which left him paralysed. The physician passed away in 2018, at the age of 76.
'A two-year suspension reflects the severity of the breach, and gives the club time to rebuild governance capability, re-engage with the City of Stirling to see if they can find a home for the club and time to demonstrate considerable reform before the possibility of returning to the competition.'
WA Police investigated the matter but decided that no action was necessary.
The Osborne Park Amateur Football Club has 14 days to appeal the two-year suspension. It is at present unclear whether the club will do so.
Mr Dawe added: ‘This is an absolute … draw a line in the sand moment, for our clubs, our club presidents, our club leaders, leaders in the community.
‘They need to be across all the events that are going to occur, and ensure that common sense prevails.’
The club says it is cooperating with the Perth Football League and the City of Stirling.
'While we acknowledge the seriousness of the situation, we firmly believe that the proposed consequence of shutting down an entire community club - with many years of history and deep roots in our local area - is grossly disproportionate,' Mr LaBianca said.
'Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the City of Stirling has refused to engage with us and have forced us to vacate our lease without explanation.'
City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin claimed a football player wore a costume 'depicting child pornography' to an end-of-season party
The club claims it has appointed a new leadership team to guide it forward, adding that the player in question has been given a ban from and that the footy club has 'engaged openly and transparently with all stakeholders to demonstrate our commitment to real and lasting change.'
One unnamed PFL club president told the ABC that their team had been considering cutting out all dress-up themed events.
The individual, speaking on the condition of anonymity, praised the PFL for their work in stopping such behaviour; however believed the two-year suspension imposed on Osborne Park was ‘a bit rough’ and ‘will kill the club’.
Another PFL club president told the ABC: ‘I have no issue with 'silly Sundays' and what have you, clubs need to have fun, however, there needs to be what's tolerated in society, and that's the line, and people just need to understand that.’
Many online thought the ban was harsh.
'Whilst I was absolutely shocked to hear of what the person was dressed up as, I do believe that it is an overreaction by City of Stirling,' one person wrote on Facebook.
'I hope that they can continue to have an open dialogue about the incident and hopefully make a decision that both punishes the club, and the footballer, but doesn't make the overall history of the club suffer.'
'Wow, so the council got offended by a costume and overreacts like this. Seems a tad harsh, is it run by snowflakes?' another said.
The club does not deny that the costume worn to its Silly Sunday party was 'incredibly distasteful' (Daily Mail does not suggest any of the pictured Osborne Park players were involved in the incident)
Some didn't see the funny side to the incident, however.
'I think it says a lot about the character of other members of the club if the person in the offensive costume wasn't removed immediately from the event,' one person wrote.
'Yeah, was only having a laugh, just a bit of harmless fun mocking the disabled and child sex abuse. What's the world coming to?' another said.
The City of Stirling has been contacted for comment.
It comes after several other footy clubs, both in the AFL and in local footy, have been embroiled in controversy over their end-of-season parties.
In September, the president of South Bunbury Football Club, Nicky Waite, apologised after she wore a costume depicting the late American political activist Charlie Kirk, complete with fake blood dripping from a gunshot wound in her neck.
She wore a ‘Make America Great Again’ baseball cap, and posted an image of herself posing in the outfit online, with the words ‘Rip Charlie Kirk’.
Geelong have also stated that its ‘Mad Monday’ celebrations will not go ahead in the future as they have done previously, after players, including Bailey Smith and Max Holmes, were criticised for their outfits and antics on social media.
Last year, the AFL launched an investigation into GWS Giants’ controversial Mad Monday celebrations. Multiple players received fines and sanctions for wearing distasteful costumes and skits performed at the event, some of which included simulating the 2001, September 11 attacks in New York.
