Tigers bite chicken on footy split

Alex de Vos
Torquay Football Club has slammed a former Big Brother contestant’s bid to start his own junior team on the Surf Coast.
Officials have warned Paul ‘Chicken’ Dyer that setting up a new club was about more than just “getting new jumpers”.
Mr Dyer, who also hosts a radio program, said he planned to break away from the club as a juniors coach to start his own team at Jan Juc.
He believed his club would cater for “growing demand”.
“Jan Juc hasn’t got its own football club and we want the kids to be able to have a bit of choice,” Mr Dyer said.
“Torquay has 15 junior teams. I don’t know of any other club that has more.
“The Jan Juc community is getting bigger and bigger and there is a massive demand – we want to be able to cater for those kids.”
Mr Dyer brushed off the concerns of Torquay officials.
“A lot of people in Torquay don’t want it and are trying to put the brakes on but we’re going at it like a bull at a gate,” Mr Dyer said.
“It’s a great idea.”
Torquay juniors president Jim Humphrey said a second club was unnecessary.
“We’ve already got a junior section that is running really well – all the kids are catered for,” Mr Humphrey said.
“There are no complaints and they all belong to the same club – it couldn’t be better.”
Torquay Football Club president Peter Papworth said he was “apprehensive” about the feasibility of a Jan Juc team.
“If someone wants to do it then it’s up to them but you’d be duplicating costs and there are a lot of issues involved,” Mr Papworth said.
“It’s not just about getting new jumpers – there are administration costs and the infrastructure isn’t there.
“I can’t understand why they would want to do it when we’ve already got a structure that works really well.”