Kicking goals for grassroots soccer

LAST year, when the men’s edition of the World Cup was on, Geelong residents turned out in great numbers for the Socceroos clash with Argentina after Council installed a live site at Rippleside Park.

The Women’s World Cup has been a great reminder of the love people here have for the world game, and I hope the Matildas can go deep into this tournament.

I have always been a fan of soccer (football). It is exciting and is a great way to connect with community members who share a passion for the sport, and often their culture and heritage as well.

The game is growing at an exponential rate. Its popularity across the City of Greater Geelong has increased significantly over the past 10 years, with an overall growth in participation of 67 percent.

In line with this growth, Council has been investing in new and improved facilities, with a strong emphasis on providing for the explosion in female and junior players.

It was a pleasure to attend the official opening of Bell Park Sports Club’s new LED lighting on Friday night.

The $395,000 project – delivered in conjunction with Sport and Recreation Victoria – will allow training to run later and for night matches to become a regular feature.

There is, obviously, always more to be done.

The draft G21 and Football Victoria Regional Football (Soccer) Strategy 2023 – 2033, which was presented to Council on Tuesday night, looks at how we further develop the sport over the next decade.

The draft strategy provides clubs and associations, councils and other stakeholders in the region the opportunity to align planning, investment, and development priorities.

Importantly it takes into account the latest Football Victoria and Football Australia strategic frameworks, with a focus on key areas such as female football, facilities and infrastructure, the Fair Access Policy, club and game development, and other factors across the local football community.

The draft strategy seeks to develop a plan that drives participation and enhances the experience of all participants, while identifying the priorities for investment in related infrastructure.

An example of that is the long talked about regional football facility, it has considered a range of other regional and local issues specific to the City of Greater Geelong.

These include improvement to the quality and capacity of existing pitches, improvement of the quality to player and referee change facilities, support access to existing indoor facilities to support increased participation in futsal, and new and existing sites where provision shortages exist.

As this is a draft, there will be a public exhibition and community consultation period of six weeks, and it is crucial that all stakeholders in the local game participate in this engagement.

I want to encourage those with an interest in grassroots soccer to provide their feedback, and to be as honest and as thorough as you can be.

There is a great level of detail in the draft strategy, however, I believe the final version would best be informed by the insights of the local soccer community.

We get one shot at getting this right, so all input will be considered.

In the meantime, go Matildas, let’s hope we are cheering for a bit longer just yet.

And, as always, please feel free to contact me on 0455 532 006 to raise an issue, or reach out via the City’s website (geelongaustralia.com.au), via phone (03 5272 5272), via email ([email protected]) or via the City app.

Cr Eddy Kontelj

Brownbill Ward, City of Greater Geelong