Back to where it began

 

December 23 2008

Shepparton News

Benalla Rovers Soccer Club is set to return to North Eastern Soccer League in a stunning coup as the competition attempts to grow.

The Rovers could be back in the league as soon as next year, 15 years after their last season in the competition before leaving to join Albury Wodonga Football Association.

Benalla's executive and the North Eastern league committee will iron out transitional issues in the next month in time for a January 20 deadline on whether it will rejoin the competition.The prospects of Benalla going through with its initial interest in joining the league look good after its committee voted 9-1 in favour of pursuing its options with the North Eastern league at a club meeting last week.

The North Eastern league senior premier in 1977, Benalla has struggled in men's ranks in recent Albury Wodonga league seasons.

Rovers president Peter Gebauer yesterday spoke highly of the North Eastern league's professional attitude, saying things had changed considerably since he engineered his club's departure from the competition after the 1994 season.

"It is a bit ironic," Gebauer said.

"But for the future of our kids we need the club, it's got to get bigger and stronger.

"Things (in the NESL) have changed a lot in a good way . . . with the focus now also on juniors and women."

Gebauer said while being fair to Albury Wodonga, the weight of numbers at committee level pointed to the North Eastern league being Benalla's new home next season.

Club media officer Bill Cathcart said the travel involved in the North Eastern league would also be favourable to Benalla.

He also said the league's strong affiliation with Football Federation Victoria and the Summer Zone League concept was a positive.

THE LOWDOWN

Benalla Rovers

Formed: In the early 1950s, playing its first home game at Benalla Aerodrome in 1954.

Home ground: Churchill Reserve, Benalla. The venue hosted a state Women's Premier League match this season with Bendigo Vipers using the venue as a home away from home.

Affiliations: From the 1995 season onwards Benalla has been an Albury Wodonga Football Association club, prior to that it competed in North Eastern Soccer League.

Premierships: Success has been hard to come by for Benalla in the Albury Wodonga league, its only team in men's or women's seniors to qualify for a final was its third-grade team in 2003.

Benalla has won the highest men's prize in the North Eastern league, defeating Lemnos in the 1977 grand final 3-1 after extra time.

Frank Zeidler opened the scoring for Benalla in the 1977 final only for a Stan Niedzwiedzki own-goal levelling the scores.

A goal in each of the two extra time periods to Zenon Golonski gave Benalla the win, its fans invading the pitch in celebration at the end of the game.

Zeidler, goalkeeper Kurt Marek and captain-coach Kaz Golonski were Benalla's best.

Goulburn North East representatives: Benalla has four players in the Summer Zone League, all of them coming from its women's and girls teams.

Open women: Rachael Claughton, Sarah Jones, Liz Mason. Under-15 girls: Rebecca Claughton.