Junior truce key to Ipswich Q-League entry

Lee Gaskin | 9th September 2009

FOOTBALL Queensland boss Geoff Foster says uniting Ipswich’s 4500 junior players under one umbrella is the first step towards entry in the Q-League.

The elite 11-team state-wide competition, seen as a stepping stone to the A-League, reaches its climax when Brisbane Strikers face Redlands City Devils in this weekend’s grand final.

But despite covering all corners of Queensland, from Brisbane in the south, up to Cairns in the far north and taking in regional cities Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and the Sunshine Coast, there remains one glaring omission – Ipswich.

With a population of 160,000 which will only expand in future years, the potential the region has to offer is immense.

But before a single senior representative team gets off the ground, Foster has called on the city to get its junior house in order.

As it stands roughly half of the city’s promising youngsters are involved in competitions run by the Queensland Christian Soccer Association, while the other half are playing for clubs linked with Football Brisbane.

It’s a recipe for disaster.

Finally there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, with Ipswich City Council and a group of passionate football people pushing for the formation of the Ipswich Football Association.

Under the proposal competitions would be based in Ipswich, allowing the city to enter teams in state-wide junior tournaments.

It’s a move which has the blessing of Football Queensland.

“It’s been the council who are driving the amalgamation of the church association with the Ipswich clubs,” Foster said.

“If that happens there will be a junior base of 4500, which would mean Ipswich would be its own zone in its own right.

“The council have been terrific supporters of this and have been the driving force behind the amalgamation.

“Having all the juniors under one umbrella provides a clear pathway for players in Ipswich.

“The pinnacle will be an Ipswich team in the state league.”

Foster singled out two council-owned venues – the North Ipswich Reserve and the Briggs Road Sporting Complex – as venues slated to host Q-League games.

However, regarding the timeframe for an Ipswich team in the competition he said: “Not for 2010, but sometime after that”.