PORT ADELAIDE LION SOCCER CLUB

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (16:19): I rise today to speak about my local soccer club, The Pirates. I recently attended a pre-season dinner and had a great time with the club as it prepares for what I am sure will be a highly successful season.

Mr Odenwalder interjecting:

Dr CLOSE: An interjection on your own side? The Port Adelaide Lion Soccer Club was established in 1903 making it one of the oldest soccer clubs in Australia. The club has been in continuous operation through the Great Depression and both world wars. It has moved location a number of times and it has been at the site on the John Hart Reserve in Ethelton since the 1950s.

Currently the Pirates have 180 players and 500 members. They have teams ranging in age from under seven years old to a professional senior team that plays in the Football Federation of SA premier league. The club has a strong focus on developing its junior players. Last season the senior coach was awarded the Premier League Coach of the Year and three senior players were signed up by Adelaide United. The Pirates have a policy of selecting highly experienced coaches and providing them with quality training so that they are better able to pass on the skills of the sport.

The club recently received a Move It grant from the Office for Recreation and Sport. With this money the club has established a Soccer for Everyone program. The program is aimed at children of Aboriginal heritage and also children who are new arrivals. The program involves training and mentoring children in these focus groups in soccer skills. If they reach a level of proficiency where they can compete at the appropriate standard, the club will provide scholarships to help them integrate into the Pirates teams and club. What a wonderful way to open the club up to all!

The club has been limited by its small grounds and has been greatly encouraged by the suggestion that the local council facilitate their move to Taperoo onto a large block of land owned by the council that was formerly the site for Taperoo Primary School. The Taperoo site is an ideal location for the Pirates and the Taperoo area would benefit greatly from having the club and its facilities located there. The site can accommodate four to five pitches. It is a flat site with well-draining soil. This site has the additional benefits of a train station and bus stop close by. It is also close to the Lefevre Community Stadium, so young people involved in the club could also play indoor soccer as part of their training or in off-season competition.

I would like to pay tribute to the Pirates club's impact on the community and how much it is valued by that community. What was clear at the preseason dinner was that the club is able to rely on dozens of small sponsorships from local businesses and individuals supporting their local club. This is not a rich area and it is not a wealthy club, but it is a successful club because the community has taken it into their hearts.