Ground closures and wet weather impact soccer competition

PERSISTENT ground closures and ongoing concerns around wet weather could lead to a shortened season in the Football Far North Coast competition.

Football Far North Coast general manager Steve Mackney said there has been a logjam of close to 300 competition fixtures that have been postponed over the past month.

In a major concern, hundreds of players across the competition are yet to get on the field this season.

“The bizarre weather patterns that have included the effects of Cyclone Alfred back in March, continue to

taunt efforts to get winter sport played with any continuity thus far,” Mackney said.

“It seems increasingly likely that a Plan B will again include a modified season and a modified finals series.”

“We are very aware of the importance of providing participation opportunities for our youngest players.

“Football Far North Coast is committed to doing everything reasonable to support participation, however the vagaries of weather conditions are beyond our influence.

“We urge everybody to be patient and know that parity of football activity will return at the earliest opportunity.”

The MiniRoos competition for players aged 5–11 will be the most affected with games not able to be rescheduled in that format.

Clubs are encouraged to support and attend MiniRoos gala days at various grounds around the region to help the kids spend more time on the field.

A number of clubs across the region were impacted by floods in 2022, with four of the past five seasons shortened or impacted in some capacity.

“I want to thank everyone for the resilience shown during these exceptionally challenging times,” Mackney said.

“Our community has demonstrated admirable resilience over several years, despite the impact of many obstacles.

“Football stands committed to supporting club volunteers and every stakeholder, who contributes to keeping the game vibrant at the grassroots.”

Fixtures and updates can be found online at bit.ly/ffncfixtures