Lions roar for new soccer club rooms at old disused Belair golf course
STURT Lions Soccer Club are the wandering minstrels of the Football Federation South Australia with no less than 17 “homes” but a disused Hills golf course could provide them with a win.
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THE Sturt Lions are the wandering minstrels of the Football Federation South Australia with no less than 17 “homes” – but they are looking to settle down once and for all.
The 500-strong soccer club will submit an expression of interest with the State Government to move to the disused Belair Golf Course site.
Club founder and president John Vander Veeken said the Lions had grown rapidly since being established 15 years ago.
“But we’ve had no home base all that time,” Mr Vander Veeken said.
“We need greenfield space … because we’re landlocked around the Blackwood area.
“We’ll be looking for whatever we can get but ultimately we’d like a proper complex there (at Belair) with clubrooms and several pitches.”
Current playing venues include Karinya Reserve, Manson Oval, Hewett Oval, Blackwood High School, Flinders University, Seaview High School and a main training and playing centre at the Adelaide Shores Football Centre at West Beach, which is 20km from Blackwood.
“We desperately need somewhere local where our local families can come and support us,” Mr Vander Veeken said.
“There seems to be lots of government money flying around for fitness and kids, so hopefully we can access some of that.”
Mr Vander Veeken said the club would approach both major political parties for support as the federal seat of Boothby was a marginal seat and would be keenly fought over at the 2019 election.
The Belair Park Country Club and Golf Course fell into administration in January with its owners having debts in excess of $2.1 million.
Mitcham mayoral candidate and the owner of The Artisan Cafe at Blackwood, Heather Holmes-Ross, has previously confirmed that she and husband Jonathan were planning to lodge an expression of interest for a restaurant and function centre at the golf club.
Expressions of interest close on November 15.