By Margaret Maccoll
Noosa juniors and seniors will merge this Saturday for the first time in a trial for Noosa Pirates rugby league to become a single entity.
Pirates president Greg Christensen said since 1975 the juniors, aged under-6 to under-16, had their base in Cooroy while the seniors aged from under-18 to A-grade had called the Tewantin Sports Complex home.
But the different home bases have been proving difficult for the number of volunteers required and for parents who often have to travel between the grounds for family members playing in either group.
“Each team has its own manager, and we need people to man the bar, scorers, time keepers, referees,” he said.
This weekend Pirates will play the last game of the season against Kawana on their home turf and on Saturday every game from under-6 to A Grade will be played at Noosa.
The trial will test the capacity of the grounds to deal with the comings and goings of people to various games, parking and logistics.
“We’ll have an information tent set up for people to ask questions and put forward suggestions for the amalgamation,” Greg said.
“We’re hoping to get people involved in the whole club instead of just the juniors or seniors.
The juniors have 350 players and the seniors, 450 players.
The Pirates plan to keep bases at both Cooroy and Noosa, and still have a lot to work out in terms of how the games and training sessions will be organised, Greg said.
“It’s going to be a big job,” he said.
