Dungog Soccer Club's MiniRoos teams were got a kick out of being able to play their first home games on the weekend at Barnes Oval.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The under 6s, 7s, 8s, 10s and 11s teams all played against opponents who had travelled from around the hunter and as far afield as Scone.
Dungog Soccer Club secretary, Stacey Rowe, was excited to be able to have home games once again.
"It was our first game at Barnes Oval this season which was huge for us," she said.
"The oval held up pretty well actually. We've got a couple more weeks until the next home game so it should be good by then, provided we don't get much more rain."
Spirits were high, the sun was shining, and both players and supporters enjoyed the opportunity to host for the first time this season.
It was touch and go waiting to see if Barnes Oval would be dry enough, with a huge effort being made late in the week to mow, mark up and rearrange the fields on drier ground, with multiple games being played at the same time to minimise changes and disruption.
The children loved being able to play at their home field once again, according to Rowe.
"Everyone loved the fact that we didn't have to travel out. It was a beautiful day for a game of footy, we've got lots of new equipment which is always cool," she said.
Being halfway through the season, Rowe hopes to get a few more home games in before the competition ends, however it all depends on how the weather holds up.
"It all depends on the weather. We marked out the driest areas but it jus depends on the weather. If we don't get any rain we should be good," she said.
While the field was still too soft to host the competitive games, the under 13s and All Ages teams played at alternative locations with both teams coming home with wins.
The under 13s played Kurri Kurri, winning 1-0, with Mackenzie Hicks scoring the only goal.
The next home games will be July 9 from 9am. It is hoped all teams can take to the field and play on home turf.
However, the home games will depend on Dungog's weather holding out and Barnes Oval continuing to dry, according to Rowe.