Footballers flocking to Knox

Over 280 teams have already signed up for the Spring/Summer season of Football Fives.

The Knox Regional Football Centre is preparing for its first Spring/Summer season of Football Fives with over 2000 people set to take part in competitions kicking off in early September.

Local interest in the Centre has been significant with the winter season drawing to a close, with Football Fives offering the opportunity for players to continue playing on an outdoor pitch.

Over thirty established football clubs are represented in some way in Football Fives, with plenty of social players involved too.

The Knox Regional Football Centre opened for business in January 2012 and is the largest outdoor five-a-side facility in Australia and the only one in Victoria.

As well as leagues for men, women, juniors and mixed teams, the Knox Regional Football Centre also holds tournaments throughout the year. The launch tournament, held in February, attracted former Socceroo and SBS football analyst Craig Foster along with a team of former National Soccer League All-Stars, all of whom were full of praise for the facilities and the new form of the game.

“It’s ahead of everyone and it’s ahead of the curve,” said Foster post-tournament.

“You get a lot of these smaller centres, but the scale of it here is bigger than I’ve seen in Australia before. 

“It’s a wonderful credit to the game and to Football Federation Victoria because what we need in football is the highest level of facilities."

While Football Fives leagues have been running throughout the winter, local clubs have been taking advantage of the nine floodlit synthetic Football Fives pitches as well as the full sized FIFA one-star pitch for training.

Knox United Soccer Club President Felice Lomuto said that the new facility in Knox has been a significant help to the club.

“With the all weather surface we can allocate training for teams when the weather is poor, and it provides us with an extra training venue,” he said. 

“The region lacks a lot of grounds and this helps us to keep doing what we do as a club.”

Lomuto agreed that Football Fives is a great option for teams to continue playing over the summer, and can be an exciting change of pace from 11-a-side football.

“We see that as very important as a club and it’s something that we want to push as much as we can,” he said. 

“It’s a great way to enjoy the game.”

For more information on Football Fives visit: www.footballfives.com.au