Gympie touch footy committee struggles to find volunteers

The Gympie touch football community has been left in limbo with fears the team could be lost to the Sunshine Coast.

Gympie’s touch footy team could be lost to the Sunshine Coast after failing to form an executive committee due to a lack of volunteers.

It’s been a tough beginning year for the touch footy community, with ongoing pandemic restrictions, council car park confusion and the flooding of the field preventing teams from playing.

The season, which was initially to start in late January, is currently undergoing delays leaving the clubs in limbo.

Now, the footy team is scrambling to find a new executive committee after everyone previously on the board decided to collectively step down.

Former president, Geoff Lobegeier, said volunteering was often a “rewardless” task and many people took the volunteers for granted.

“We made it pretty well known last season that we were gonna step down, it’s a tough job,” he said.

Mr Lobegeier said that until somebody decided to volunteer, the Sunshine Coast committee would manage the Gympie club.

“If somebody from Gympie doesn’t step up to the task, Sunshine Coast will just run the comp,” he said.

Mr Lobegeier said much of delay stemmed from the flooding earlier this year.

“One, the wet weather disrupts the field, two, you can’t play on the field for six weeks for environmental factors- you don’t know what sort of contaminants are on the field and lastly the electrical infrastructure needed to dry out,” he said.

The pandemic also played a part in the delays.

“It’s really impacted us over the last two years and a few of us have stepped down just because it’s changed our lives and how we work,” he said.

There are currently 300-400 adults who play touch footy in Gympie.

The next election meeting will be held this upcoming Thursday.