Northern Areas Football Association has been forced to relocate this year’s grand final from Orroroo to Laura due to concerns over the condition of the playing surface at Orroroo Oval.
The event is a major revenue-raiser for the host club and to make such a decision just six weeks out from the showcase day illustrates the seriousness of the problem.
Orroroo Football Club president Ian Ellery said it was no good beating around the bush and they had to take action.
“Our club has been concerned for about four or five weeks now about whether or not the surface will come up in time,” he told the Northern Argus.
“We went to the association meeting last week expressing our concern as to whether they would be prepared to accept it at a standard we are not happy with or do we try and get the grand final shifted.
“We knew at the start of the year we would be hosting the grand final on September 12 and our district council - which manages the grounds - started off with the best intentions to have it all ready.
“They spent a lot of time and effort and money re-establishing a new surface and bringing in some sand to make the ground a softer playable surface.
“But unfortunately a few set backs - like having some heatwaves in February after the early grass was planted - a lot of it didn’t get established and once we got into the playing season the traffic, particularly up through the midfield, has not enabled the young grass to get started and we have been chasing ever since then.”
Ian said a lot of consideration was given to implementing a rescue strategy either by repairing the surface or even planting a new one from scratch.
“The council has looked at trying to get a grass that can be planted for a short term fix just for the grand final,” he said.
“But we just felt that it was going to place uncertainty on it from a club level, association level and even at council level with the what-ifs that can happen and we felt it wasn’t fair on Northern Areas footy.
“We felt it was too important to have those risks so it was better to make a decision early enough then whatever club the grand final goes to the catering issues and all those sorts of things can be done in time.”
The 2010 grand final was due to be hosted by Southern Flinders football and netball clubs at Laura or perhaps at Gladstone where the new indoor stadium would be used for the netball. It will now be switched to Orroroo and Ian remains confident that the ground will be ready for next season.
“Yes, it should be right,” he said. “We’ve had several talks with council and they have made an absolute commitment to get it up in time. They are prepared to stop at nothing to get it right and already with some of the work that has been done it is now only a matter of fine dressing and time that should make it an excellent oval.”
The upcoming Mid North Zone Senior Cricket Council Super League competition and Mount Maurice association home-and-away games between October and March will be played on the Orroroo Area School oval.
Northern Areas Football Association secretary Geoff Lange inspected the oval during the round 14 match on August 1.
“Clubs have been concerned about the Orroroo surface for a while now,” he said. “We had a delegates meeting last Monday night where it was discussed and a proposal to switch the grand final to Laura was tabled. Southern Flinders then took it back to their committee on Tuesday night and they agreed to hold it this year and send it back to Orroroo in 2010.”
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