Magazine - Mud Fest on the Sunshine Coast

By Editor in Rugby on 17th Mar 2010 8:00

A month of torrential rain and four days of touch football action have left the Sunshine Coast’s premier sporting fields trashed.

The once firm green turf at Stockland Park is now a giant mud bath that will take a least one week to dry out. And that is if there are no more heavy downpours. Until then, the area will be out of bounds for the Sunshine Coast’s sporting clubs, such as the Stingrays, Sea Eagles and Fire, who will have to find somewhere else to train.

However, the good news is that the main field held up strong. This is because of efficient drainage.  The managing director of Stockland Park John Kelly said he was confident that the other fields would bounce back “fairly quickly”. “The damage is reversible, it’s just a lot of wetness and dead grass,” he said.  “Repair work will start as soon as possible.  “I’d imagine the groundsmen will get some light sand in as a top dressing.”

Mr Kelly said although he preferred the grounds not to look like slush, the four day National Touch League, which ran from Wednesday to Saturday, injected at least $3 million into the local economy.  “There was 3000 official competitors plus 5000 supporters,” he said.  “The tourism industry benefited immensely.  “With that in mind, I am not overly concerned about the state of the fields.  “They just need a little tender love and care.”

The National Touch League communications and event manager Mark Spear said because of the wet weather and concerns for the grounds, game duration was reduced. “There were 200 to 300 games across the 15 fields.” “I don’t think we have seen conditions that wet for 30 years.”

Source & More: www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au

Read more articles in Rugby, by Editor or from March 2010.