Sunday social soccer for all

WHILE many soccer teams in the area play in competitive leagues, there is also place for those who would like to play some football without a larger commitment.  

Bendigo Old Gold is a group of soccer players who get together for a social game every Sunday morning from 10am to 12pm. 

Andrea Romano has been part of the group for 15 years and said while he joined when living in Bendigo, he now comes down from Echuca every week because he loves it so much. 

He said the group started in the 90s by some lecturers at La Trobe Bendigo and as it is not an incorporated club, members are not required to pay insurance. 

The group is multicultural, with people from various backgrounds like China, Kuwait, Mexico, Thailand, Italy, Scotland, Ecuador, Peru, Kenya, Egypt, India, Singapore, and others taking part. 

“On a Sunday we have like 10-15 nationalities playing together, which I think is great in a place like Bendigo,” he said. 

Will Secker plays competitively for La Trobe University, and said he joined Bendigo Old Gold during the pandemic to keep up his skills and meet some new people. 

“There were some rules about exercise, so it was a good way to get out and keep fit,” he said. 

“It’s a social sort of group for men, women, young and old. The oldest person there is, I believe, 72, and the youngest people we get through are sometimes six or seven years old.” 

He said about three times a year the group plays against Castlemaine gOld Spice Masters. 

The group plays on Mason Field at Strathdale Park, and while not an incorporated club, they have a membership of $20 to cover referee costs when playing against Castlemaine.