A HUGE year of major sports started with the Big Bash in front of a sell-out crowd at C.ex Coffs International Stadium in January.

The Sydney Sixers have made Coffs Harbour their home-from-home and despite the 5 wicket defeat to the Perth Scorchers, every run was cheered on by the vocal crowd who sang along to ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘We Will Rock You’ well into the night.

Shark fever hit the town in June as the Cronulla Sharks set up a training camp in Coffs Harbour and defeated the Gold Coast Titans 18-10 in front of another packed house.

The Sharks captured the hearts of locals with several public appearances and visits to hospitals, schools and local charities.

The Sharks hit a rich vein of form after their camp in Coffs Harbour, finishing in second place on the ladder with crowd favourite Nicho Hynes scooping the Dally M Medal by a landslide.

The Newcastle Jets kicked off their preseason training with a one-week camp in October, holding free training clinics for juniors and open training sessions.

Some of the best players on the Coffs Coast were given the opportunity to play against the professional A-League team in front of over 2000 spectators.

Whilst the gulf in class was apparent as the Jets cantered to a 17-1 victory, it was a memorable moment to savour for local footballers and their families.

And it was a night to remember for Coffs Coast Tigers midfielder Jacob Field who penetrated the Jets defence and scored a goal.

Over 190 teams and 3,800 players flocked to Coffs Harbour to compete in the International Tag Series in August.

At the closing ceremony, Oztag CEO Bill Harrigan hailed Coffs Harbour as the best sporting venue in Australia.

Australian squash player Rex Hedrick lifted the 2022 North Coast Open, defeating world ranked 57 Henry Leung from Hong Kong in the quarter-finals and Addeen Idrakie from Malaysia in the final.

It’s been a memorable 2022 and we will look forward to another action packed year in 2023.

By David WIGLEY