Brimbank council has agreed to look again at ground conditions at the Kevin Flint Memorial Reserve after Cairnlea Football Club took to Twitter last week claiming its barren surface is causing injuries and driving good players away.
Club president Yagiz Adal said the ground had five “massive” patches where grass was not growing and the club had been forced to move games away from the main ground to manage the surface.
“We use flour to mark the ungrassed areas,” he said.
“We’ve had some players sustain ankle injuries. It’s hard to retain good players; it’s been an ongoing issue for years.”
The club’s Twitter blast included a video of officials filling holes with soil before the final home match against Sunbury on August 28.
But the council’s community wellbeing director, Neil Whiteside, said the council has been working with the club to improve the surface, and monthly ground inspections were undertaken.
He said the council had not been made aware of any injuries as a result of the ground’s condition.
“The surface conditions are a result of the very heavy usage of the pitches and climate conditions,” Mr Whiteside said. “Council invested significant time and funding into the soccer pitches at this reserve prior to commencement of the 2015 season. This included a significant renovation program.
“Clubs are encouraged to spread the load on the grounds, abide by approved usage levels and times, and – as part of their tenancy agreement – inspect all surfaces before use to identify any issues and report them immediately to council for rectifying.”
