We have to find new blood: Ingham

 

Teo Pellizzeri

February 28 2008

Shepparton News

Shepparton coach Andy Ingham has urged the North Eastern Soccer League to bring in more teams to save the struggling competition.

Replacement teams from Victoria are being hunted by North Eastern Soccer League to account for the loss of Hanwood and Yoogali in the past week.

North Eastern league secretary Sam Saracino said the league had immediately started canvassing options for new sides in the Goulburn Valley area.

But Ingham said even when the league had eight teams, the competition was far from ideal.

``Six teams is barely even a league,'' he said.

``You need numbers to have a half-decent league because it's fairly hard to motivate players to come up against the same faces every three weeks.

``For some of the overseas players they would have come from a league with 24 teams and nearly 60 games in a season.

``This would feel more like a pre-season competition for them.''

Shepparton South youth coach Ralph Giuliani said the set-up in Griffith meant strong teams turned out every season when Hanwood and Yoogali participated.

``The players felt alive when they played against them,'' he said.

Giuliani said he felt Yoogali took the easy way out by not persisting with the North Eastern league, despite having good player numbers.

``I understand the travel was quite demanding,'' he said.

``But the South juniors were never bothered by it, in fact they quite enjoyed the road trip.''

Former Sun City secretary Ilhan Tanrikulu said the strength of Shepparton, Shepparton South and Shepparton United would make it difficult for any new senior team to break into the league.

``It means a new club would only be able to get fringe players or those who weren't playing in the seniors and it wouldn't significantly improve the team,'' he said.