Tara Murray
Burnside Springs United wasn’t going to knock back the opportunity to join the Victorian Turf Cricket Association this season.
The club had already been pre-approved to join the competition for 2023-24, but when a vacancy came up, the club had no hesitation in saying yes.
President Aaron Borg said moving to a turf competition was the next step for the growing club.
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “It has been on the cards for the last couple of years. We did a strategic plan.
“With a growing number of players we wanted to have that pathway for the juniors, women and senior men as well.
“That’s experiencing turf cricket and playing in the VTCA. Giving them a chance to play proper cricket.”
United will have four sides in the VTCA, their men’s first and second XIs, their women’s first XI and their under-18 boys team.
There other teams will remain in the same competitions, with the club looking to field three women’s teams overall.
The men’s side will play in division 5. Borg said they would play all their games on the road this season.
“We’re getting turf and it’s been signed off by the council and should start in December this year,” he said.
“We had a little bit of luck on our side. A spot opened up and already being approved… They said a spot had opened up and you can play away this season to make it happen.
“We said let’s make the jump.”
Borg said the move had been met with a lot of positivity and excitement.
He said the club had continued to grow in recent years.
“We’re fairly strong,” he said. “We’re one of the lucky ones, not to be dented by COVID.
“We’ve grown year on year. We had 270 members last year.
“We’re already looking to go past that and we are now the biggest club in the area. We have had well over 50 people at senior training already.”
Borg said they weren’t setting big expectations for this season, with many of the group having never played on turf.
“For us, it will be about learning and finding our feet as a turf club,” he said.
“The players are learning. For our women it’s going to be massive they’re going out of a social competition and into a competitive competition this season.”
