Rain threatening A-League fixtures

Friday night’s A-League clash between Gold Coast and Central Coast at Skilled Park is under threat because of major localised flooding and the possibility of more heavy rain leading up to the game.

A FFA spokesman said on Wednesday there was no real concern at this stage about the state of the Skilled Park pitch but admitted there were other issues which could force the clash to be rescheduled.

Officials from Gold Coast United, Skilled Park management and an FFA-appointed match commissioner will carry out a pitch inspection on Thursday to see if it’s still draining and evaluate spectator access to the ground.

“The FFA will contact the away club because the Gold Coast airport was closed on Wednesday and we need to have a contingency plan to get them there should they still go,” said the spokesman.

“All those things will be reviewed tomorrow and taken into consideration.

“If there was to be a huge dump of rain overnight that would obviously cause more concerns.”

A heavy thunderstorm washed out a clash between the same two clubs at Skilled Park after about 30 minutes of play last season.

The A-League also have another game scheduled for Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night between Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets.

However the spokesman said the situation was not quite as serious in Brisbane as it appeared on the Gold Coast.

“Brisbane seems to have a lot less dramas with road closures and stadium issues,” said the spokesman.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the rain could ease in the next 24 to 48 hours before returning again on the weekend.

Some parts of the Gold Coast have been swamped by more than 400mm (16 inches) of rain since Monday.

Several popular resort golf courses have been hard hit, including The Glades which was mostly under water and Royal Pines, venue for the world class Ladies Masters golf tournament in a fortnight, partly submerged with the Nerang River peaking.

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