Nambucca Strikers rise after fire, flood and sewage leak

Disaster has hit a Coffs Coast soccer club not once, but three times, with the new president describing his brief tenure as a “baptism of fire” for a sporting community that will not be defeated.

Coronation Park at Nambucca Heads has been closed for a week due to a sewage leak.

A faecal contamination, a cancelled tournament and a fiery blaze have been unable to defeat the Nambucca Strikers as the heart of the club beats on.

The latest blow to the little club that could, has been the closure of Coronation Park by Nambucca Valley Council after sewage spilt onto the fields on April 9.

Club president Clay Urquhart said the triple blow of bad luck during his first year as president had been a “baptism of fire”.

The “rough start” included the destruction of the Nambucca Leagues Club in a devastating fire, having to cancel a pre-season tournament due to Cyclone Alfred, and cancelling matches and training due to the sewage spill.

Nambucca Valley Council’s water and sewage manager Brett Corven confirmed the contamination of the field resulted from an estimated 10,000L spill due to a blockage in a neighbouring street.

Nambucca Leagues and Sports Club on fire in the early hours of Wednesday, January 22.

“Sewage backed up and overflowed the system at the upstream manhole which ran down and onto the northern end of the soccer field,” Mr Corven said.

A sewer crew attended to clear the blockage and disinfect, advising the soccer club not to train on the affected areas until the ground had dried.

The map of the sewage leak from Nambucca Valley Council.

After testing and a site inspection the field reopened a week later on Wednesday.

Just weeks earlier the club had to cancel an important pre season tournament because of the potential flooding from Cyclone Alfred and, prior to that, an inferno destroyed the Nambucca Leagues and Sports Club.

“The rugby league club, the cricket club and the soccer club – we all lost memorabilia in the fire,” Mr Urquhart said.

“Luckily we had a few larger trophies out for engraving so we were quite lucky there.”

Nambucca Strikers Football Club President Clay Urquhart with sons Gus and Archie.

Mr Urquhart has made many “great memories” at the leagues club, since the age of four when he joined the Strikers.

He said there are thousands in the community with the same experience and commitment to rise from the ashes.

“Luckily memories can’t be taken from you and you can make some more,” Mr Urquhart said.

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Originally published as Nambucca Strikers rise after fire, flood and sewage leak