A soccer club on the outskirts of Griffith and Wagga has been tempted east to greener pastures.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Leeton United FC has been seriously considering cutting ties with Griffith to join the Football Wagga competition, bringing with it a near-full suite of teams.
Football Wagga’s Pascoe Cup competition offers exactly what Leeton wants; the largest first-grade competition in coo-ee of the town.
And with Leeton knocking on its door, it’s only set to grow. Boasting three men’s grades and one women’s grade, Leeton’s depth rivals the likes of Henwood Park, Wagga United and Tolland.
Despite a refereeing deficiency, and lack of dry grounds in 2016, Football Wagga’s willing to accommodate Leeton.
Leeton president Rod Harrison said the club had discussed the shortfalls, but these factors, alone, were not deal-breakers.
“It is a talking-point within our club,” he said.
“The problem we might have next year, if things were the same, is our availability of players to play catch-up matches. Having to travel to Wagga during the week could be a difficult process.”
Leeton has been on the outer, in Griffith.
“It’s very similar to what Cootamundra was dealing with, in Wagga, a couple of years ago,” he said.
“You seem to think you get left out of a few things, decisions benefited the so-called bigger clubs within the association. That’s why we started looking at our options.”
Griffith, once a world-game hub, may lose three of seven clubs registered in the 2016 first-grade competition.
“We thought two of the bigger clubs were looking at leaving the competition," he said.
“We have to look at our players, our players want a change. They want more competition, more teams, more clubs to play against.”
Leeton has a month to lodge a formal application.
“The Wagga soccer community would welcome such an application,” president Erwin Budde said.
Leeton United owns a home-ground with dressing rooms and a canteen, and shares three council-owned grounds with rugby league and rugby union clubs.