The move by Bayside City Council is in response to "inattentive" dog owners allowing their pooches to dig and defecate without cleaning up after them.

The council hopes that removing the closable gates will encourage dog owners to keep a closer eye on their pets.

Mayor Alex del Porto said there was a "small group of distracted owners" to blame for the problem.

"At some clubs groups of parents work to clean up after dog owners to clear sports grounds of dog faeces before games commence so that young players don't face the prospect of making a tackle but literally ending up in a pile of poo," he said.

Gates have already been removed at Hurlingham Park in Brighton East. Cr del Porto, who lives nearby, said the change has already had a positive effect on people's behaviour.

"If the fences [are enclosed] the owners will sometimes leave the dog inside the oval and stay outside and have a bit of chat with their friends," he said. "They are not really keeping a close eye."

The council will sidestep any backlash by making the change via an "administrative decision" – which means it will not go to councillors for a public vote.

In 2015, a similar problem in Richmond erupted into local controversy that saw dog owners pitted against sporting clubs.

After gates were removed from Citizens Park on Church Street it was alleged that two dogs had been killed after running onto nearby roads, and the City of Yarra was forced to reinstate them.

The dispute was described as "the hottest political potato in Richmond in recent times".

In the municipality of Bayside, the home ground of the Cheltenham Football and Netball Club on Weatherall Road is one of the ovals that will have its gates removed in the next year.

The club's former president Colin Anderson said before each match a volunteer had to spend 20 minutes picking up dog faeces left on Jack Barker Oval.

"Little kids are running around and they get it on their shoes and boots. Mum and dad are not happy. And we are not happy when people walk into the clubrooms with it," he said.

Mr Anderson said he had been abused by dog owners after telling them they needed to have their animals on leads (Jack Barker Oval is an on-lead area).

"You're told to mind you own business," he said.

Mr Anderson said removing gates would not necessarily deter people from letting their dogs run free, and called instead for council officers to penalise those who did the wrong thing and to educate owners.

Pet owners are required to have their pets under effective voice control if they want to walk them off leash and are required to collect and dispose of their pet's faeces, a Bayside City Council spokesman said.

Within the next year gates will removed from Donald MacDonald Reserve, William Street Reserve, Chisholm Reserve, Boss James Reserve, Castlefield Reserve and Brighton Beach Oval.

Signs will be posted at the ovals four weeks before the removals.