Soccer Suns well out of their depth

June 3 2014

Shepparton News

As a senior outfit, Goulburn Valley Suns are out of their depth in the top flight of Victorian soccer.

Securing an inaugural National Premier Leagues Victoria licence was undoubtedly a major shot in the arm for the sport in the region.

Between Goulburn North East Football Association clubs and Shepparton Junior Soccer Association, the number of juniors playing the sport have been good and results at regional carnivals prove talent is there.

Limited senior opportunities in the Regional Premier League, which offers little exposure to teams in the wider state, meant there needed to be better opportunities for locals.

The NPLV offered such opportunity and those who directed the successful bid for the Suns demonstrated great bravery to put Goulburn Valley soccer on the map.

With the exception of the under-15 team, the Suns’ juniors have proven competitive and the reports from Football Federation Victoria officials have been positive.

Pat Kielty deserves a lot of credit for his work in sourcing players and coaches and getting the junior teams off to the best possible start.

The news all the club’s junior coaches will take on the Football Federation Australia-Asian Football Confederation C License course next year is also fantastic.

Should Shaban Mehmet and David Davkovski successfully complete their B Licences by the end of next year, the club will be well placed to get the best out of the next generation.

Unfortunately, those positives have been cast against the struggles of a senior side that has been thrown into a competition it simply was not ready for.

Whether or not the Suns pushed for a spot in the top tier of the NPLV remains unclear, but Football Federation Victoria must have been given assurances the club would be competitive.

After 11 games, it is clear they are not.

The potential shown in the juniors offers some comfort, but senior results count.

That is how Suns will be judged in wider Victoria and right now they are not up to scratch.

Starting in NPLV1, the competition’s second tier, would have been a wiser choice.

It offers similar exposure and would have allowed more freedom to blood young, promising locals into the team.

It would also have allowed the club time to prove it deserved a place among the state’s best. Instead, the club has had to take a large, expensive punt on Melbourne-based players — as it will once again in the coming weeks — with no guarantee of survival.

Matthew Galea is a News sports journalist.