The pitches at Shepparton Sports Precinct are in a state of disarray following the weekend’s play.
There’s a sticky situation in the Shepparton soccer scene right now.
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Last weekend, as much of the region hit pause on play, Shepparton Junior Soccer Association pressed on.
And the cost is now visible in every muddy divot and torn patch of turf at Shepparton Sports Precinct.
While kids laced up for a soggy Saturday, the fields bore the brunt.
Overuse, coupled with unforgiving conditions, has left some pitches at the city’s premier sporting precinct barely recognisable.
For clubs like the Goulburn Valley Suns, the fallout is immediate.
“I just think it’s a little bit of negligence, of overuse,” Suns coach Craig Carley said.
Several games were played in inclement weather on Saturday.
“Our usual training pitch had six or seven games played on it in the rain. It shows a complete lack of respect for the other service users — and a real lack of common sense.”
Carley, who inspected the grounds himself before GV Suns junior fixtures on Sunday, described the scene as “puddles, bogs of mud … unplayable”.
Many of those games were cancelled.
Yet, the decision to play games on Saturday has now left a backlog of problems.
With the grounds waterlogged and ripped up, Carley’s side — along with several other users — has been left scrambling for alternatives.
“It’s going to affect our training situation for the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“And it's dangerous. When the ball doesn't move across the surface, it can cause a lot of health and safety issues and player safety is paramount.”
There’s hope some fields will be back in use near the end of the week.
Greater Shepparton City Council infrastructure director Gary Randhawa confirmed the damage.
“All pitches at the Shepparton Sports Precinct were found to be waterlogged and muddy due to weekend usage,” Randhawa said.
“As a result, all grounds have been closed for training on Monday and Tuesday to allow the surfaces time to recover.
“While several pitches will remain closed until the weekend, it is anticipated that three to four fields may be reopened later in the week for training purposes, depending on weather and ground recovery.”
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