New United soccer club takes off

– Paul Pickering
THE Hampton Park United Sparrows have taken flight for 2011.
Hampton Park United Soccer Club has rolled out the welcome mat to players from the Dandenong Sparrows, with senior players now in training ahead of the merged club’s April debut in the Football Federation Victoria competition.
Club president Karen Walden said the merger would allow both clubs to grow and provide players with a pathway from junior to senior competition.
Hampton Park’s five senior teams played in the Bayside league last year, but those players will join forces this year with the Sparrows in Football Federation Victoria’s Provisional 1 South-East competition.
“At Hampton Park, we tended to lose juniors to other clubs, because they wanted to play FFV seniors,” Walden explained.
“And Dandy Sparrows, being located in more of an industrial area, found it difficult to attract and retain juniors, so we decided that it would be beneficial to both clubs to merge.
“That way the Hampton Park juniors have a pathway to play senior FFV football and the Sparrows senior teams have also got kids to feed into them.”
The new club recently launched its logo and will soon unveil a new strip. Prospective players can attend a registration day at K.M. Reedy Reserve, Hampton Park, on Sunday 6 March, or visit the club website at www.hpufc.com for more information.