By Oliver Lees
Gisborne Soccer Club is appealing to Macedon Ranges council for improved drainage and lighting at its home ground, as the club has been forced to reschedule matches and cancel training sessions in recent weeks.
On Saturday, July 31, the club had to move its senior men’s match from their home pitch Dixon Field as puddles on the main oval made the surface unplayable.
The club has also had to reschedule some of their midweek training sessions, as currently only three of the six light towers around the main playing pitch are operational.
Gisborne senior coach Danny Moore said the club was in desperate need of improved lighting and drainage in order to cater for the needs of its more than 300 players.
“It’s becoming a really big problem and a bit of a safety issue, it doesn’t take a lot of rain for the ground to become waterlogged because there’s no drainage,” Mr Moore said.
“The lack of lighting is an added layer because our junior teams are mostly training at night time and we only have the lights around the main pitch.
“I don’t think the council has it high up on their priority list. It’s not that they don’t understand, it’s just that maybe they don’t understand how urgent our needs are.”
Gisborne Soccer Club shares Dixon Field with five other sporting clubs including Gisborne Little Athletics.
In March 2020, Macedon Ranges council published the draft Dixon Field Master Plan, which states: “Current issues include poor field drainage… lack of lighting and huge demand for soccer fields.”
The draft document states that the master plan is to be implemented over a period of 20 years but does not provide a more detailed timeline.
A Macedon Ranges council spokesperson told Star Weekly the council was aware of the the ground and lighting issues and may consider the master plan in the next financial year, but that it was not responsible for the maintenance of the pitch’s lamps.
“Council will consider future upgrade works at Dixon Fields after any future adoption of the master plan, subject to budget considerations and in conjunction with available grant opportunities,” the council said.
“Council is currently investigating an intermittent lighting fault at Dixon Field.
“Maintenance of these lamps is a club responsibility under the current seasonal tenancy arrangement.”
