Rosebud Heart Junior Soccer Club: Vandals smash goals, tear up pitch
After waiting three seasons to get back on their home ground a Rosebud soccer club is now facing a new challenge.
South East
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Vandals have smashed through locked gates to hoon around a Rosebud oval, ripping up the recently reconstructed ground and destroying a set of soccer goals.
The damage has devastated Rosebud Heart Junior Soccer Club which was preparing to return to the ground after three seasons away.
Club president Anthony Matthews said there were no words to adequately describe how frustrated and upset club members were to find the damage on Saturday morning.
“After two seasons of not playing games at Truemans Road due to reconstruction of the ground and a third due to COVID-19 it is so disheartening to those that invest so much time and effort into the Club, for the benefit of our local community, to have put up with this,” Mr Matthews said.
He said it was likely the grounds were vandalised across two nights.
“Whoever did it was pretty determined to get onto the ground.
“The double gates were locked with a thick chain and someone has used what must have been a heavy vehicle to force their way in.
“They’ve then done circle work on the oval and ripped up great chunks of the ground.
“Smashing the goals into multiple pieces would have taken some effort as well.”
Mr Matthews said the club would now have to fundraise to buy new goals which cost about $1700.
Mornington Peninsula Shire recently completed a $750,000 upgrade of oval 1 at the reserve including compacting the surface to help keep it even, importing sand and installing irrigation, constructing two full sized soccer pitches and planting grass.
The oval was built on a former landfill site and prior to the upgrade was in poor condition with an uneven surface and ageing irrigation system, making playing conditions for local clubs difficult.
The vandalism has been reported to police and the club is asking anyone with information about what happened to come forward.
The club has about 150 players and Mr Matthews was hopeful most would return to training in early 2021.
He said committee members and volunteers were needed and anyone is interested in joining the club should email him at president@rosebudheart.com.au
Donations to help cover the cost of the new goals would also be welcome.