drought gives Torquay soccer the boot

Jane Emerick
Drought has booted soccer out of Torquay.
Surf Coast Soccer Club will play home games at Connewarre after the drought dried up the club’s former home ground on Jan Juc’s Bob Pettit Reserve.
President Joe Taylor said the club had planned to play home games this year at a Horseshoe Bend Road oval but it had also become too dry. The committee reluctantly decided this week to play games at Connewarre despite fears the shift could marginalise the club and leave it stranded outside Torquay indefinitely.
“We’ve agreed to temporally play our games at Connewarre until Horseshoe Bend is on line,” Mr Taylor said.
“We’ll continue to train and play on Jan Juc oval when we can because we need the lights”
Mr Taylor hoped the Horseshoe Bend oval surface would be ready by mid-season, in July.
Surf Coast Shire had told the club that new $300,000 soccer clubrooms at the Horseshoe Bend oval would be ready in October.
“The clubrooms will be our headquarters,” Mr Taylor said.
Meanwhile, the club’s senior women’s team is struggling with a player shortage despite winning a premiership last year.
University and work commitments had left them with less than half a team, with the season beginning in the middle of next month.
The club asked women interested in playing soccer to phone 0418 591 940.