Pontian Eagles look north for secure future
WESTERN suburbs amateur soccer club Pontian Eagles plans to move its base to the north to secure its future after being homeless for the past two seasons.
WESTERN suburbs amateur soccer club Pontian Eagles plans to move its base to the north to secure its future after being homeless for the past two seasons.
The club has secured a short-term lease for Yalumba Reserve, which was the home ground for the Paralowie Football Club before it folded last season.
Pontian president Terry Kalaitsidis said moving bases would allow his club to set-up a junior program for the first time, which he said was vital to its survival.
"We didn't have the facilities before and now we've got these facilities and a home we can now get the juniors up and going," Mr Kalaitsidis said.
"We are trying to create a club for the Paralowie area and where the young kids can represent their area.
"But we are starting from scratch so we do need the numbers.
"A lot of the strong clubs have juniors and kids coming through, which we do not."
The club, which was formed in 1992, was based at Ridley Grove School until 2009, when it was forced to move to make way for one of Adelaide's six super schools. Since then it has played its matches atAdelaide Olympic's Ferryden Park base and the SA Soccer League headquarters at Grange Sports Complex.
Mr Kalaitsidis said, from next year, his club would field juniors at its new home with the side to be known as Paralowie Eagles.
He said he hoped it would pave the way for the club's senior side to also move to Yalumba Reserve in the future.
It means it would become the only soccer club in Paralowie.
The nearest clubs for locals at the moment are Parafield Gardens and Salisbury North-based Salisbury Inter and Salisbury Florina the closest clubs to the suburb.
"We want to try to stabilise club with the home base and the opportunity to get Paralowie ... we are rapt," Mr Kalaitsidis said.
"In the long run, eventually we would like to have home games on a Friday night and put on a show for the whole area ... somewhere to go for the football followers to go on a Friday night."