Surfers Paradise president fears players and coaches will leave the club over Lex Bell Oval surface

A PLAYING surface described as “a mess” could force players and coaches away from one of Football Gold Coast’s leading clubs, according to concerned officials.

SURFERS Paradise president Telly Karadimos fears players and coaches will walk away from the club unless Gold Coast City Council can repair a Lex Bell Oval surface labelled “a mess”.

The state of the Council-maintained Lex Bell pitch came under heavy criticism following Surfers’ 1-0 Premier League win over Palm Beach on Saturday, with Apollo’s own coach, Alex Morrison, describing the surface as “the biggest decider in the game”.

The Lex Bell Oval playing surface.

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While Burleigh coach Colin Phelan joked he thought he was “in Syria” after watching the Round 14 fixture, Karadimos doesn’t see the funny side.

Part of a public park, the field is devoid of grass in some parts, boggy in others, sandy and uneven, with Surfers’ game against Coomera on July 13 moved to Southport because it was deemed unplayable.

Karadimos said the field was mowed by Council every three to four weeks and watered twice a week, but moves to limit training time on the surface were offset by constant public use.

The Lex Bell Oval playing surface.

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The Bulletin understands Football Gold Coast officials recently sent a letter to Council to convey their disappointment at the state of Lex Bell Oval, with a Council spokesperson confirming they were “aware of concerns raised by this club”.

“The fields at this precinct will receive a full renovation in September as per the annual maintenance schedule,” the spokesperson said.

However, Karadimos said the situation called for a full returf and the erection of a fence around the field, proposals Council had so far rejected.

“They’ve said to me ‘let’s have a walk on it in November and see what we can do’. But by then, it’s too late,” he said.

“We know they can’t do anything about it now because the grass isn’t growing but they need to returf it. They want us to pay to use their fields but they’re not maintaining it.

Lex Bell Oval, home of Surfers Paradise Soccer (football) Club.

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“If we don’t get this ground fixed we are going to lose players and coaches. Players will not want to play on our pitch.”

Broadbeach president Mickey Doyle, whose club falls under the same Council district as Surfers, said the Dolphins also had problems with their publicly-available field but conceded there wasn’t “a heck of a lot (Council) can do at this time of year”.

“It’s a hard one. I will agree that Surfers is a mess,” Doyle said.

“Maybe at the start of the season (Council) could do a bit more to it, like fertilising, to make it a bit thicker so it can take more punishment at this time of year.

“The trouble with Surfers is the school uses it and there’s always someone on it (because it’s a public oval). Council could restrict it a little more to the public.”

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Palm Beach's Jake Martin (left) and Surfers Paradise’s Bruno Rodriguez do battle at Lex Bell Oval on Saturday. Picture: Glenn Hampson