ROUNDBALL GAME IS KICKING GOALS
From the Herald Sun
By Paula Beauchamp
SOCCER has become a problem.
For most parents the sport's low injury record is a drawcard, but increasingly mums and dads are being forced to console kids who can't get a kick.
Of all the sports played in Victoria, soccer is experiencing the most rapid growth.
In the past three years the number of players registered to compete in Melbourne soccer competitions has grown by 13 per cent, according to the Football Federation of Victoria.
That growth in demand means too few facilities and too many players on the sidelines.
"Australians have always loved their sport," Kingston Council's leisure and culture manager Dean Walker observed.
"But, as we become a more multicultural society, less traditional sports such as soccer are becoming more popular."
Councils today face growing demand from clubs wanting additional playing fields and improved facilities, particularly to cater to more juniors and women.
And the winter season is no longer enough.
Players and their clubs want to play 12 months of the year, a "seasonal creep" that is clashing with traditional summer sports such as cricket.
To address the stalemate in their area, Bayside and Kingston councils are working together on a regional soccer strategy.
Bayside is a well-established area with limited open space to allow development opportunities.
Kingston has a little more flexibility in that regard.
“You need to get smarter about what you do with your open spaces and learn to make more efficient use of them.”
Mr Walker said the days when local governments would look solely within their own borders to address facility issues were fast diminishing.
"As suburbs become fully developed you don't have unlimited open space to address your needs," Mr Walker said.
"You need to get smarter about what you do with your open spaces and learn to make more efficient use of them."
Kingston and Bayside will consider using some facilities jointly for junior competitions or seniors in both areas, depending on the outcome of the regional planning study.
Both councils are currently assessing tenders, which closed this week, for a contract to carry out the study.
The contract is estimated to be worth about $60,000.
The study will explore gaps in existing facility provision and set up a framework for sustainably delivering soccer opportunities across the region.
According to briefing notes provided by both councils, young people are being turned away from both Kingston and Bayside clubs because they have reached capacity.
Futsal, an indoor version of soccer, has enormous growth potential but is already at capacity, according to the project brief.
Clubs, private operators and recreation facility providers are all establishing their own competitions.
But teams wishing to participate currently languish on waiting lists.
Nor can men's teams at the elite level be accommodated.
The study will also look at participation trends particular to the area to predict future demand.
But the current love affair with soccer is unlikely to abate.
Mr Walker says the ease with which kids pick up soccer skills, gets them hooked.
"It's not like learning to handle an odd-shaped (Australian Rules) ball," he said.
"A soccer ball is perfectly round, easy to kick and kids enjoy the early success they get. It makes them enjoy it more."
