Port Macquarie to stage Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Heart match

The unplayable state of Newcastle’s EnergyAustralia stadium has forced Football Federation Australia to shift Sunday’s clash between the Jets and Melbourne Heart to Port Macquarie.

A motorcross event held at EnergyAustralia on October 16 has caused plenty of damage to the pitch, forcing FFA to postpone last night’s scheduled Week 11 clash between the Jets and North Queensland Fury and also putting pressure on the Week 12 fixture scheduled for this Sunday.

Port Macquarie’s Regional Stadium, which the Jets have used for pre-season matches in the past, holds about 10,000 and will now play host to this weekend’s match and although Heart’s football operations manager John Didulica said it was not ideal, he admitted there was simply no other option.

“We're currently scurrying about trying to find somewhere to stay, but at the moment it looks like we'll be staying in Newcastle and making the three-hour bus trip on match day," Didulica said.

"It's not ideal, and hopefully there's an accommodation solution. But as it stands right now, there's nothing available.

"We'll just roll up our sleeves and get on with it."

The match will be telecast live on Fox Sports at 4.00pm on Sunday, 31 October.