Sport
27 March, 2026
Maryborough Soccer Club’s long-standing search for a home remains unsolved
The Maryborough Soccer Club’s decades-long search for a permanent home has gained momentum following a recent address in State Parliament, with mixed emotions swirling around the future of Jubilee Oval.
Since its recorded formation in 1983, the Maryborough Soccer Club has never had the privilege of a stable residence, currently a temporary tenant at Jubilee Oval.
Following years of advocacy and a substantial three-year growth from 32 players to 140 across eight teams, the club began a petition hoping to gain public support for “a dedicated soccer facility”.
Within three weeks, the petition had garnered 200 signatures. It was then submitted to the Central Goldfields Shire Council on August 4 and tabled to councillors at their September meeting.
Despite the club having numerous discussions with council over the last six months, the petition hasn’t generated any tangible action, according to Maryborough Soccer Club secretary Kelly Mason.
“We met with council early on when the new CEO came on board and there is a genuine desire to support and do something for the club, but we are not seeing any action,” she said.
“The club needs identity, a sense of ownership and to have something that people drive past and see that soccer is really thriving.
“We’ve been patient and we’ve been sitting back and waiting because we’ve trusted that what they’ve said is going to come to fruition and it hasn’t.”
The lack of long-term stability has led to facility issues, including a lack of storage, poor changerooms that have previously caused referees to refuse to attend Maryborough home games and safety concerns surrounding the concrete cricket wicket remained unresolved.
Maryborough Soccer Club president Sami McClelland said those constant constraints, combined with a persistent push to secure a location, have left many volunteers feeling burned out.
“This is my third year and I just feel constantly exhausted. We’re trying to make a home for 140 people in a club that can’t meet even the minimum standards,” she said.
“A lot of grants rely on you having a permanent place to be able to apply for those grants. Without the permanent base, we can’t do that.
“We’ve lost key volunteers over the last five, six years, just because of the weight of constantly having to fight for the bare minimum.”
As a possible solution remains up in the air, Member for Ripon Martha Haylett brought the issue to State Parliament, acknowledging “the need for the Central Goldfields Shire Council to finally deliver the Maryborough Soccer Club a permanent, fit-for-purpose home at Jubilee Oval”.
In her address, Haylett said the club has “done everything asked of them, but despite their best efforts, the council has dragged its heels”.
“They’ve got hundreds of players now, they are going from strength to strength, but they just have no permanent home,” Haylett said following her recent address.
“They’ve come to me over a period of time, but especially more recently, saying that they’re just getting more and more frustrated with a lack of certainty around having a permanent home because it means that they can’t put down roots.
“I really want to see them have a permanent home at Jubilee Oval. I know that the shire is doing a lot of work to make that happen, but I just wanted to try and give it a push so that we can get that outcome for the soccer players.”
Discussions surrounding a permanent home have centred around the club’s current residence, a facility also used by other local sporting communities.
During their 2025/26 home and away season, Jubilee Oval was a major venue for the Maryborough District Cricket Association’s A reserve competition and a key fixture of local junior cricket.
The Maryborough District Eight Ball Association president Jason Stewart also calls Jubilee Oval a “perfect” venue for the association, thanks its ability to fit eight tables for tournaments such as the Maryborough Open and Border Cup and accommodate all players.
“We need a facility where we can grow our sport so that people can get into our sport and play at the highest level they can,” he said.
“The venue for us in size is perfect, the access is perfect and the wheelchair guys can use the disabled toilets and they’re on flat terrain.
“The value of Eight Ball and Pool is that it doesn’t discriminate against your ability or your age. We’ve got people well into their 70s playing in different divisions in our competitions and enjoying it.”
Stewart is concerned that their association, boasting over 200 members and three weekly competitions, could potentially be moved out of Jubilee Oval if the soccer club is given a long-term lease.
According to Stewart, a lack of discussion amongst all stakeholders has meant potential resolutions have gone under the radar.
“I’ve got no issues with the Maryborough Soccer Club moving to Jubilee for their winter season,” he said.
“We are more than reasonable as far as sharing that facility with not only the Maryborough Soccer Club. Whether it’s junior cricket, senior cricket, whoever needs it, that social room should be a community joint venture.
“I do not understand why Princes Park has not been talked about at least for an interim of two to three years until they get their purpose-built facility or a better venue.”
With various stakeholders at play, Central Goldfields Shire Council CEO Peter Harriott said the council has applied for funding through the State Government to develop a master plan for the site.
“The Maryborough Soccer Club has been after more permanent facilities for a long time and they continue to express that need,” he said.
“We had further conversations with the councillors at briefings, and we aim to work on the soccer club’s aim of a permanent home at Jubilee Oval.
“A master plan makes it quite clear to all participants what’s going on and makes it clear as to what can actually be developed at that site and whether the needs of soccer can be suitably met.
“We have been working with the Eight Ball association and the cricket participants to assess their needs and see how alternatives could be provided.
“It’s never easy when there are multiple players and interests and investment required, but somehow we’ve got to find a balance.
“That requires continued conversation and engagement with everybody until we do find an ultimate solution.”
If Jubilee Oval is deemed a practical solution, Mason said the soccer club is happy to accommodate other sporting codes.
“We haven’t had any discussions with the people that if we would have (Jubilee), it would conflict. However, we would like to have that opportunity,” she said.
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have a cricket pitch, but you can’t eradicate a whole junior sport.
“We are not going to be cutthroat, but at the same time, we do need to be able to access the entire facility and at the moment, we don’t have that full access.”