Striking new deal

By Ben Hope
WHEN Antonio Arrigo moved from Italy to Australia in 1962 he had three dreams: to gain citizenship, start a family and build a soccer club in the Cardinia Shire.
This season his latter dream will come true when the Bunyip Strikers become the first senior soccer team in the shire to play in the Football Federation Victoria (FFV) competition.
Arrigo said it was history being made.
“It’s the best thing that could happen in the Cardinia Shire,” he said.
“I was so happy when they told us we were officially in.”
The Bunyip and District Soccer Club was established in November 2008 but without an affiliation with a competitive league the club was restricted to playing intra-club and friendly games.
“Last season our juniors played against Cardinia United, as well as inter-club friendly games against Monash City and Drouin,” Arrigo said.
This year the Strikers will have junior to senior level teams competing in the FFV and will be calling the Bunyip Recreation Reserve home.
“We wanted to join the FFV because it is a very professional league,” Arrigo said.
“We will have players in every age group from five years old to seniors.”
The club will play its first game on 18 April after its players have been registered with the federation. The senior team will play in the South East third’s competition and the juniors will join the junior metro east region.
FFV competition co-ordinator Emily McIntyre said the federation had been in talks with Arrigo for the past eight months and was happy to have the new club on board.
“The club is very keen and has done everything to make sure they can enter the league,” she said.
“We are very happy to welcome them to the federation.”
Geelong’s Springdale FC will also join the FFV this season, bringing the total number of clubs in the league to 330, including 237 metropolitan and 93 regional.