Pitch squeeze eased

By Tania Martin
MONBULK’S new synthetic soccer pitch is already kicking goals.
The long-awaited $600,000 upgrade was officially opened on the weekend as stage one of the region’s plan to ease the pitch squeeze.
For more than five years Monbulk Soccer Club and Sherbrooke Ranges Junior Soccer Club have been campaigning for more pitch spaces.
The new synthetic field at Monbulk is expected to fix some of the problems.
It can be used around the clock for matches and training sessions without issues with wear and tear.
It was made possible by joint funding between the State Government and Yarra Ranges Council, with each spending $300,000 on the project.
As Sports Minister and Monbulk MP James Merlino officially opened the new pitch, the two clubs also reached a significant milestone.
To ease the ongoing pitch problems and to provide a link between junior and senior competitions, they have amalgamated.
Monbulk Ranges Soccer Club’s senior president Barry Adshead hopes the club will become one of the best in the state.
He said it had been a long road for both clubs to join together and for the new pitch surface.
“This would never have happened without all that hard work from volunteers,” Mr Adshead said.
Yarra Ranges’ councillor Samantha Dunn said the pitch was a stepping stone for a major soccer facility in the region.
Cr Dunn said it was great to also see the two clubs merge.
“It provides a real pathway between junior and senior soccer … they will truly be a force to be reckoned with in Victoria,” she said. Mr Merlino said the synthetic pitch was stage one in a long-awaited project to ease the squeeze.
“The best way to describe this is releasing the pressure on the pressure cooker because we have seen an incredible growth in soccer for both boys and girls,” he said.
“But this is just the first stage in a much bigger development.”
Mr Merlino said the synthetic surface allowed games and training to happen every day and night of the week. “It can handle so much more wear and tear than a usual turf pitch … this is a fantastic outcome,” he said.
Mayor Len Cox said the council had acquired the land for its planned regional soccer centre in Monbulk.
He said this was the next step in the plan to boost soccer facilities.
Following the opening, a Monbulk team took on Ashburton in a friendly match.