Epping footballer farewelled by family as spotlight turns to covered cricket pitches
Indoor cricket pitches at local football grounds are under the spotlight as Nathan Fitzgerald’s devastated family prepare to say goodbye to the beloved Epping player and teacher.
Fitzgerald, 27, suffered critical head injuries after the strange incident in Saturday’s match against Lalor when he collided head-on with another player.
Epping club chairman Luke De Vincentis said Fitzgerald’s head hit another player’s leg as he fell, eventually hitting the cricket pitch, a concrete strip covered with artificial turf in the middle of the oval.
“There have always been some risks and concerns with cricket pitches on football ovals,” De Vincentis told ABC radio. “The cricket pitch was closed but it was still pretty rough compared to other parts of the oval.
“Because we’re just doing local amateur sport, we need to be able to use those facilities for more than one purpose, but the risk of having a fairly hard strip of surface in the middle of the ground where a high-speed, high-contact sport is being played comes into play.
“I hope this is looked into and how cricket grounds are closed is something that can be looked at going forward, because it is a significant risk and I think the weekend has proven what a terrible outcome that can be.”
Fitzgerald was given immediate assistance by paramedics from both teams at the Sydney Crescent ground before emergency services arrived.
The 27-year-old actor was also a teacher at Mernda Central College, which he joined in 2023 as a mathematics and science teacher, and is remembered by students for his kind nature.
In the hours since the tragedy, local football clubs across Melbourne have sent messages of support and sympathy to Epping and the Fitzgerald family.
Many echoed the Epping club’s call for everyone to hug their loved ones.
A Northern Football Netball League spokesman said referees inspected the pitch before the match. The league is expected to release an official statement later Monday after stating over the weekend that there was “no suggestion that the incident was anything other than a football accident.”
This imprint has also contacted Whittlesea Council, which manages Lalor Recreation Reserve, for comment.
De Vincentis said the club met at its Epping base on Sunday.
“There’s shock and confusion and it doesn’t feel real at all, no one can really understand it,” he said. “Headers are prominent in football, but I don’t think anyone has ever dealt with the consequences of this particular header before, so yeah, it’s difficult.
“The last 24 hours in particular have been really good in terms of bringing the club together. But we have lost a teammate and a very dear member of the club and more importantly the Fitzgerald family have lost a son and a brother.”
“They would have wished him all the best to score and get the win on Saturday morning, but they didn’t realize that would be the last time they would speak to him.”
De Vincentis also praised how bystanders and paramedics responded to the incident as “absolutely extraordinary”.
“You train to become an expert at doing first aid and CPR, but you never think you need to do it at a local football match.
“Emergency services told us that if they had not acted so quickly, [paramedics] He would probably be dealing with yesterday’s conditions, probably on the field.
“At least they gave him an extra 24 hours to say goodbye to his family and friends.”
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