Two e-scooter riders are allegedly responsible for tearing up the footy fields used by a fledgling junior rugby league club.
The fields at the Nirimba Sports Complex were left a mess after the riders allegedly had their fun on Sunday afternoon.
Nirimba Hurricanes Rugby League Club president Scott Armstrong said a passing e-scooter rider allegedly saw the two e-scooters on the fields.
“A member of the public saw them and he chased them out and managed to catch up with one of them. He’s managed to chase down one,” Mr Armstrong said.
“From that, there’s been some identifying information and that’s gone to the police.”
Local resident Zeik White was stunned at the damage done to the grounds.
“I went down there on Sunday with my little fella to kick the ball around but then I went the next day and the fields were all torn up,” he said.
“Something has to be done about it. I’m all for having a bit of fun but not when you’re destroying property that hundreds in the community use and get enjoyment from.”
Mr Armstrong said the Hurricanes were due to play their first home game for the season on the weekend but it had been too wet.
He was unsure when the fields would be ready to play on again, given the damage and predictions of further rain.
“The fields were very boggy, squelching when you walk. No playing. You have to look around and find a spot to train,” he said.
Mr Armstrong said it was not the first time the grounds had been damaged at the sports complex.
“There’s four lots of football fields. We have two for our games. They have done it before on the back fields but it was on the other side,” he said.
He said motor vehicles could not access the grounds but there was open access to e-scooters and similar from a footpath beside the fields.
“The council doesn’t want to put fences around the ovals. You’ll see fences at the old grounds but because we are one of the newest clubs on the Sunshine Coast, a lot of them don’t have fenced-off areas, and so we don’t have a fence.”
At the time of publication, Mr Armstrong was still waiting to learn if the Hurricanes or the council would have to repair the damage.
Police are investigating the incident.
The Hurricanes are only a three-year-old club and have about 100 players in teams from under-6s through to under-10s.
Despite approaching more than 60 businesses, they were only able to muster three sponsors for this year and finances are tight.
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