Southern Football chief executive Dougal McGowan is demanding action from the city on homeless people camping at the sports ground, saying he is concerned they are not only creating danger for young footballers, but still living in abysmal conditions.
Mr McGowan said it was frustrating a better answer for housing had not been found after "two years now with no solutions".
He and a group of people from Southern Football went to the Oval every weekend to clean up the grounds and the changing rooms before children arrived to play sport.
The group was picking up a variety of rubbish, including soiled clothing, needles and broken glass, he said.
"We have to do a check of the grounds because we find things in the grounds that could cut or hurt kids.
"Parents are telling their clubs they feel anxious being there."
Mr McGowan said the flooded ground on Saturday morning was an example of the "absolutely abysmal conditions" the squatters occupying the Oval were living in.
"Some of those tents are basically under water.
"Right now our decision-makers — our councillors, our MPs — are sitting in their nice warm houses while these people are in those conditions and it’s two years now with no solutions.
"There needs to be a solution to help those people out."
It was unfair for the people living at the Oval as well because they had about 3000 people in their "backyard" every weekend, Mr McGowan said.
People were starting to construct permanent dwellings alongside the half dozen tents at the Oval and one person had built a driveway going up to a makeshift shack near The Kensington Sports Bar and Tavern, he said.
"This is not a solution for people," Mr McGowan said.
"They need good, proper care and support to be able to make sure that they can be well and safe."
Dunedin Night Shelter manager David McKenzie said the situation was complex and a variety of issues had led to slow progress.
Mr McKenzie said people who used the Oval for sport and other activities had every right to be frustrated but resources and support had been offered to the community that lived there.
"I think that there is an impression given that the authorities and various agencies ignore them.
"That is really not true and I have personally spent time with the majority of those who are at the Oval.
"Certainly from a night shelter point of view we are doing what we can but there’s a bigger issue there."
He said the Oval was seen as "party central".
"In the evenings there are people who head down there with their wee boxes of beer and other stuff."
The night shelter sat in the middle of the situation and worked with the squatters, the council and the Ministry of Social Development to make a change.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich agreed.
"We’re no further ahead" in finding better housing for those living in the encampment, he said.
"We’re in a bit of a conundrum because we can’t just move them on because it will just shift the problem to some other place," he said.
It was the government’s job to provide emergency, transitional and social housing, Mr Radich said.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop rejected Mr Radich’s suggestion to buy Aaron Lodge, saying it lacked "local services required for a cohort of individuals with complex needs".
The lodge also did not comply with fulltime residential occupation requirements, and extensive upgrades would be needed to bring it up to standard, he said.
