Southern Football chief executive Dougal McGowan said he had started discussions with council staff and councillors, police and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and wanted the situation at the Oval sorted out.
"It is a big deal. We have started the conversation. We are really concerned about safety and wellbeing of homeless people and players including children."
The football season starts today. About 1000 players are expected weekly over the next four months, including children as young as 5.
Mr McGowan said he was worried that volume of players and noise of winter sports at the Oval would contribute to homeless people’s anxiety levels.
He hoped the mayor’s plan to end homelessness, announced in a council committee meeting earlier this month, would land soon.
"It is a tough situation and really important that everyone in the community has shelter and the necessities for life."
Otago Rugby chief executive Richard Kinley said Mr McGowan had made him aware of the growing problem at the Oval in advance of the rugby season and they were meeting to discuss it.
"I support the need to work together to get a solution."
Over summer, there had been up to 120 teams of children aged 5-12 every Thursday and up to 26 games happening at once, which Mr Powell described as "organised chaos".
He had tried to manage the situation by arriving more than an hour before children and asking homeless people to move away from the pavilion.
"Sometimes it went well and homeless people were obliging and moved. Sometimes it did not. I am not a specialist, but it is apparent there is mental illness, substance abuse or other things that can make negotiation difficult."
It was particularly hard when he could not be there, and a volunteer, such as a university student, had to negotiate with homeless people. This was not in their job description and they were not trained to do it.
Advice from the council on how to handle the situation would be useful, but a solution was needed, Mr Powell said.
"When they won’t move, what are we supposed to do? Talking to homeless people has shown me they are desperately in need of care. If there was a solution offering shelter it would help a lot."
A council spokesperson said the two agencies had not teamed up to track people sleeping at the Oval. Previous estimates of homelessness across Dunedin were more than 3200 people, including street sleepers and people in uninhabitable buildings.
The spokesperson said up to 15 people were using council-owned showers in an Oval pavilion weekly, since the council started opening them on a Sunday morning. Broken glass was being cleared up by contractors.
The council remained concerned about the extent of homelessness and was still working hard to achieve a multi-agency solution.
An NZTA spokesperson said it was not the agency’s job to help the homeless, but the situation at the Oval led it to be concerned for people’s safety and wellbeing including anyone "wandering near the Oval at night".
Night Shelter manager David McKenzie described the problem as "bad". There was an urgent need for long-term housing for the homeless that also provided wraparound support services they needed.
"It just isn’t there," he said.
