THE Italo Stars are set to make their long-awaited return to the Football Far North Coast competition after nearly three years.<\/p>\n
The north Lismore-based soccer club has had a horror run with the floods in 2022 and ongoing issues with its club facilities.<\/p>\n
The Stars will move to Riverview Park and hope to field men’s teams in the lower divisions along with a women’s side.<\/p>\n
It will likely be two teams somewhere between third and fifth grade for the men.<\/p>\n
The club was hit hard with multiple floods and its merger with Sydney-based Club Marconi after financial struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Club president Ben Perry said it was now or never for the playing group to return to the competition.<\/p>\n
“All we had left after the floods was a set of goalposts,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We ended up playing again that season, but there were all sorts of problems with asbestos at the facility and it was unsafe for us to run the club.<\/p>\n
“It has kept us out for two years and we feel now is the right time to come back in some capacity.<\/p>\n
“We’re not looking to set the world on fire in the premier division, but we’ll be competitive with whatever grade we end up in.”<\/p>\n
The Northern Rivers Hotel has come on board as the major sponsor, but the club still needs additional support to purchase new equipment and uniforms.<\/p>\n
The ground change will help the club keep its roots in north Lismore, with its 60-year anniversary next year.<\/p>\n
Perry said the plan over the next few years is to rebuild with the aim of bringing back juniors.<\/p>\n
“We’re lucky that a lot of our senior players didn’t go over to other clubs,” he said.<\/p>\n
“This is basically happening because the playing group wanted to get back together and to make sure we don’t lose that history and sense of community.”<\/p>\n
Perry said the club was thankful for Lismore City Council and the little athletics club for allowing it to share the facilities at Riverview Park.<\/p>\n
The club will return to training and hold a muster night for anyone interested in playing at the grounds on Tuesday, February 11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Italo Stars are set to make their long-awaited return to the Football Far North Coast competition after nearly three years. The north Lismore-based soccer club has had a horror run with the floods in 2022 and ongoing issues with its club facilities. The Stars will move to Riverview Park and hope to field men’s […]<\/p>\n