Football West has won its battle to stay in Maylands.
It has been given a five-year lease of Gibbney Reserve Pavilion by the City of Bayswater.
There had been a tug-of-war over the facility during the past few months between the sporting body and the Maylands Peninsula Primary School community, which wanted it made available to an out-of-school hours childcare provider.
Football West has part-leased the pavilion for the past 21 years and now uses it for its Football Futures Foundation.
It had originally wanted a new two-year lease but later sought a five-year lease with the option for another five after its administration was moved to the new Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Although the council granted the five-year lease, it voted 8-2 in favour of a proposal from Cr Nat Latter — who had campaigned for the facility to be made available for childcare — to remove the five-year option.
“I think this building has spent many years being unused and I really hope that it gets the use intended for it,” she said.
“But I think it would be good to review that after five years and make sure this site of such high value is still required.
“The intention of Football Futures is to ultimately be housed in the State Football Centre and I think in five years time we’ll have a really good idea of whether that’s happening.”
Infrastructure and assets director Luke Botica said most of the city’s lease agreements did not have an option to extend.