Gympie rugby union club heartbroken over third flood destroying sport fields

Junior numbers at the Gympie Hammers continue to rise, but the club has pleaded for its own home ground after being driven out of Albert Park by the May floods, and forced to share alternate smaller playing grounds that are not standing up to the overuse.

Gympie Hammers Rugby Union junior players are pumped up and ready to wrestle, but the club says it wants more for its future sport stars.

The Hammers’ 2022 season has been disrupted three times in 2022 by intense rain and flooding which has ravaged the playing grounds at Albert Park.

Senior members say the club is in desperate need of its own field.

Rugby has been played at Leprechaun Park since floods once again impacted Albert Park in May, and Gympie Regional Council closed the grounds.

Home game rounds, Wednesday school rugby competitions and junior carnivals have become a struggle with Leprechaun Park’s poor lighting, a club spokesperson said on Thursday.

The Hammers also must share the grounds with four other clubs, making the field difficult to maintain.

“We have strong numbers, but it has been difficult with grounds being shut and we have not been able to train,” club president Wade Flikweert said.

“It has curbed enthusiasm and kills team morale and we cannot sustain what we are doing long term.

“We have been supporting and hosting the High School Rugby Competition home games on a Wednesday afternoon, but field closures have forced the cancellation of such rounds,” Flikweert said,

“If we had our own clubhouse and a field to call our own, we could host big events and bring more to the Gympie community and showcase our rising stars.”

Floods may have drenched their grounds, but spirits are still high for Tuesday and Thursday training sessions with more than 80 juniors pumped to play every week.

The club has seen more than 100 juniors register, seven of which have been selected for the Sunshine Coast Stingrays rep side and more than 15 selected for Wide Bay.

“We have focused on our juniors this year as they are the future of the club, it is great to see them down there but we just have to try and get more so we can give these youngsters the best opportunities,” Flikweert said.

Hammers juniors train every Tuesday and Thursday night from 5pm to 6.30pm, follow the Gympie Hammers Rugby Union Club Facebook page for updates.