Junior Soccer team’s unique ‘twinning’ advantage

A junior soccer team in Perth has discovered it has a unique competitive advantage against its opponents.

The Murdoch University Melville Football Club’s playing base is stocked with an abnormally high mix of identical and fraternal twins.

Club president David Kindness said their twinning phenomenon is a complete coincidence and they only realised after looking over their books.

“The registrar noticed there was about 16 pairs of twins, then they looked back and saw that when you included the older ones there was actually 21,” he said.

“They just appeared of their own free will to come and play football.”

The double-trouble tactic is paying off for the amateur team, with competing clubs admitting it has become difficult for them to quickly identify players.

Miniroos VP Brad Hames said his players get confused “all the time” playing against the side.

But there are downsides, the southern suburbs team has no shortage of sibling rivalry to deal with.

Parent Wayne Nurse said it also means Mums and Dads have twice as much work to do on the rosters.

“You get two lots of orange duties and two lots of refereeing duties,” he said.

“You just have to get in there and help out with everything.”

Only one in 80 births will produce a set of twins in Australia.