A hope for finals
An Ellinbank and District Football League final at Neerim South should be given strong consideration this year.
That may be a little bit of bias from Neerim South recreation reserve committee or management president John Rochford and treasurer Steve Vincent but league officials and players and supporters from opposition clubs would find it difficult to disagree after they visit.
The playing surface is first class, cars are able to park on the fence for about two-thirds of the oval’s circumference and the facilities about as good as most and better than many others.
The EDFL might be somewhat embarrassed with riches of potential finals’ venues this year with the Lang Lang football club moving to a new and highly praised ground and pavilion at Caldermeade.
The progress to get the complex to where it is today and finally getting the nod from Baw Baw Shire council for the redevelopment in 2019 is a story of hard work from the reserve’s committees of management of many decades.
Volunteers and contributions from local contractors built a new social club and changerooms after the former buildings turned to the ground in 1991.
Locals also bent their backs in 2000 when it was decided that the oval was “too small” and its slope from one side to the other not conducive to good football and cricket.
The oval was levelled and extended to what is now “MCG size”.
Mr Rochford said the cancellation of community football last year was “possibly a bit of a blessing in disguise” for the Neerim Neerim South Football Club.
Not having home games and liaising with other leagues and clubs for use of their grounds and co-ordinating fixtures would have been challenging, especially financially.
Neerim District cricket club has not used the Neerim South oval for two seasons due to the ground’s redevelopment.
However, Mr Rochford said it was likely to only use the Neerim South ground, that has had a new synthetic pitch installed as part of the upgrade, was likely to retain its main ground at the Neerim Recreation Reserve where it has installed a turf wicket.