Happy homecoming for Granville Rage
Granville Rage returned to their home of Garside Park for the first time in six years in their Round 11 clash with Sydney University SFC, a match they came from behind to win 3-1, and they will hope it will continue to be a happy hunting ground.
S. Garside Park, named after long-serving Granville District Soccer Football Association president Frank Sydney Garside in 1964, has been a home for football since the 1930’s, with Granville Rage playing out of it since the early 2000s.
In 2019, the ground was closed and after six years and $17 million was fully redeveloped into a multi-purpose facility, with a dedicated football field and grandstand.
Granville Rage assistant coach Daniel Bortolazzo played for the Rage for 15 years until his retirement at the end of the 2023 season and was happy to be back at the ground after six years away.
“I was still playing then, in 2019, and it has been a long time coming, obviously with delays because of COVID-19 and then other renovations… It is beautiful to be back, to have the club have a home base again,” Daniel said.
“It has been a long time since we have been at our home, we have been playing out of Rydalmere Park, and they have been very good to us over the past four years.”
Not only is the new Garside Park a positive for the club, but also the whole community surrounding it, especially the youth teams.
“Every club needs a home, needs a base and it is good for our youth right through to our first grade to have somewhere to play out of.
“For me, I spent a lot of my childhood here with my family, playing from the under-13’s all the way to first grade and to be finally back here with the boys, it is a good feeling.
“It was a long and hard-fought battle for the club to make sure that we got it back… Hopefully it can become the fortress it once was for us.”
The Rage plan to have a full Open Day for Garside Park soon to celebrate its reopening but they were keen to play at the ground as soon as the opportunity arose.
“For the time being, we could not pass up the opportunity to be here and to top it off, we got the win.
“The points was the main thing but obviously, as well, just putting in a solid performance for the club.”
With the park undergoing construction during COVID-19, there had been significant delays in getting the ground rebuilt and Bortolazzo was happy that an outcome had been reached for the Rage to have their base again.
“There has been a lot of people behind the scenes who have helped us get back here and the club has been pushing very hard.
“A lot of people probably do not realise what goes into the behind the scenes of a football club and the amount of work required, but thankfully we have good people around the club from top to bottom in which their contribution does not go unnoticed.”
Granville Rage will hope their return to Garside after a six-year absence will be the start of a positive journey for them as they look to continue to battle in the League Two Men’s competition in 2025 and further into the future.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
