WOOLGOOLGA United FC has become the largest football club on the North Coast with an impressive 519 registered players for the 2023 season.

This represents a significant 22 per cent increase compared with the previous year.

The club’s home ground on High Street was a bustling hub of activity last Saturday, as MiniRoos players from the under 6s category kicked off the day’s proceedings at 9am.

The action continued throughout the day, culminating in the senior teams taking the field for the final matches at 3pm.

Peter Knott, the president of Woolgoolga United FC, attributes the growth to the strong sense of community spirit that permeates Woolgoolga.

“There is a terrific community spirit in Woolgoolga and the community has been supportive of the club,” he said.

“For the first year ever, we have girls MiniRoos in the under 6s, which is the starting point.

“Only a few years ago, girls had no choice but to play in mixed competitions but as a result of the growth in female football, girls now have the choice to play in a girls’ competition which has been a game changer.

“There is a big camaraderie amongst the players and friendships blossom.

“Around one third of our registrations are female but we have also seen growth in the boys game and standards are on the rise,” Knott said.

In addition to the rise in participation on the pitch, the dedicated volunteers at Woolgoolga United FC have been hard at work off the field, constructing new changing rooms.

This infrastructure project is driven by the increased demand resulting from the surge in female football.

“The growth in the female game means we need new changing rooms so we can host male and female matches simultaneously.

“The new changing rooms are half complete and will be ready for the 2024 season – we are thrilled to have these much-needed new facilities for our members and visiting teams.”

The upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be played on home soil, has generated significant enthusiasm amongst the Woolgoolga community.

“There is a large group of us going down to Sydney to watch the Matildas’ opening match against Ireland and we will be cheering them on all the way,” Knott said.

By David WIGLEY