Dear Southside Eagles FC Members,

We hope this message finds you well.

We understand and share the frustration many of you are feeling regarding the ongoing field closures, please know that these decisions are not taken lightly. As a current coach at our club, believe me when I say that I am also frustrated at the last few weeks with the weather situation. Our dedicated team, in consultation with our highly experienced groundsman, are doing its utmost to ensure our fields remain safe and playable for the entire season, which currently spans most of the year.

Although we understand that at times it may not have rained for a couple of days, or that conditions seem fine, please bear in mind that the ground beneath is often still saturated, particularly at Memorial Park, which geologically sits on meters of clay base and close to the Brisbane River. Any use of fields in these conditions would cause damage that would be both costly and difficult to repair. This is exacerbated after prolonged periods of rain, where the artesian water table at Bulimba is often very high/close to the surface, meaning even the smallest rain can render the sub-soil ground conditions ”waterlogged”.

The other thing to keep in mind, even after two or three days of drying, after a week of not being able to cut the grass, our groundsman may need to cut the field 3-4 times to get it to a playing level, each cut taking 2-3 hours, and then another 2-3 hours to line mark and prepare the fields. Considering the number of fields we have across our multiple facilities, you can see this becomes a mammoth task that takes days to accomplish. So, if after 3 days of rain the rain stops on Thursday, its impossible to have fields ready by Saturday. Sometimes it takes 2-3 days of sunshine just to dry the ground out enough to drive our heavy mowers on the fields.

Making the decision to close fields in these situations is always extremely difficult. However, our primary goal is to protect players and ensure the long-term condition of our grounds. To help with this, we kindly ask all teams and coaches to avoid wet or soggy areas during training and warm-up sessions. Please stay out of the goal mouths and refrain from activities that can quickly create large divots.

We understand that this may result in smaller or lighter training sessions than we would all prefer, but player safety and maintaining the quality of our fields for the entire season are our top priorities. We thank you in advance for adapting to the circumstances as they arise.

We appreciate your support as members and encourage you to be understanding of the decisions made by our grounds staff, even when those decisions may be inconvenient. Your cooperation and understanding are greatly valued and play a crucial role in helping us navigate the season together.

Michael Pikos

Club President