Soccer clubs, junior footy league face eviction by North East Link construction

Officials have launched a last-ditch plea to find 900 amateur athletes, including juniors, a new place to play. And the clubs fear their eviction will leave a generation of local kids behind.

Junior players from Templestowe United Football Club face the prospect of their club missing a season. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Soccer clubs and a junior footy league which face eviction by the North East Link construction fear missing a full season because new fields in the area cannot be found.

Senior officials from Templestowe United Football Club, FC Bulleen Lions and the Yarra Junior Football League, made a last-ditch plea for help from Premier Daniel Andrews on behalf of their 900 players, including juniors.

Templestowe United president Dennis Dalla Costa said the problem of not having fields was now at crisis point.

“We’ve got 4000 players and families in our junior sports community who are concerned about the future of sport in this area,’’ Mr Dalla Costa said.

The clubs fear losing players and parents because of the uncertainty and the prospect of missing a whole season could ruin some clubs.

The clubs have been in discussion about new fields on the site of the Bulleen Driving Range on Templestowe Rd as well as a parcel of land owned by Parks Victoria.

Nicola, 10, with fellow players from Templestowe United Football Club. Picture: Wayne Taylor.

Land could also be made available by the redevelopment of the Yarra Valley Country Club.

Linked Solutions and club owner Bruce Mathieson wants to redevelop the club and golf course, with plans to build about 170 townhouses, and release up to 16 hectares of land for public use.

Linked Solutions executive director Charles Pick said the developers wanted to deliver public benefit from the project.

“We’ve provided expert engineering advice to government on how our site can combine with the adjacent Bulleen Driving Range to speedily achieve the replacement of the lost soccer pitches and facilities,’’ Mr Pick said.

The development’s planning application with Manningham Council has been referred to a state government-appointed advisory committee but that has been put on hold while the NE Link Environmental Effects Statement process continues.

The $15.8 billion road project will connect the M80 with an upgraded Eastern Freeway. Construction is forecast to begin in 2021. The tunnel entrance would be built on the current Bullen Park playing fields.

FC Bulleen Lions chairman David Del Monaco said a generation of kids would be left behind unless sufficient pitches were found.

“Continuity in club sports is crucial. Not being able to accommodate players for a season, you lose them for life. If this was to happen over two seasons then that could be catastrophic for a sport club,’’ Mr Del Monaco said.

North East Link Authority chief executive Duncan Elliott said the authority had been doing all it could to find replacement sports facilities.

“We are in ongoing conversations with local sport clubs, councils and other landowners to find best ways to support clubs that will need to be relocated and to keep disruptions to a minimum.”

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan says the North East Link will help Victorians get to their local sporting clubs. Picture: Daniel Pockett, AAP Image.

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Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said North East Link would make it quicker, easier and safer for people to get to their local sporting clubs.

“This is the biggest road project ever built in Victoria, and we’ve been working closely with the clubs affected to find alternative grounds and facilities,” Ms Allan said.

Yarra Junior Football League chief executive Tim Murray said parents had already been deterred from bringing their boys and girls to play at Bulleen Park because of the looming construction.

“Discussions about the obvious solution on Templestowe Rd — which will benefit both soccer at Bulleen Park and our league, and is supported by Manningham Council — have not progressed at all.

“NELP tells us they are trying to work with Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water, but they aren’t making much progress & time is running out.”

A deal for the YJFL to play matches at Ford Park, Ivanhoe, is also being considered.

Geoff Gough, Heide ward councillor at Manningham Council, said the driving range space was a “no-brainer” solution. and that the golf course land was also a viable option.

“A lot of the area could be converted into fields, maybe practice pitches,’’ Cr Gough said.

The driving range is subject to a public acquisition overlay.

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