“Fantastic to see football back where it belongs at Norths. It has been a long, hard road home. Congratulations and thanks to all those who have contributed to getting our great club through some tough times.”
RARELY has the start of a footy season been as warmly embraced as at Keith Sternberg Oval last Saturday.
The Norths Tigers juniors hosted a full day of fixtures to mark their return to the ground for the first time since the end of the 2010 season.
Floods and redevelopment had kept them away, straining players, parents and officials to their limits at times over the past two years.
So the relief and joy on Saturday was understandable.
“It was an excellent day,” Norths Junior Rugby League Club president Norm Scanlan said.
“It was good to be back on deck after all the time away.
“There were a lot of smiles on the kids’ and parents’ faces.
“The facilities and fields were top notch.”
To celebrate the occasion, the Ipswich Junior Rugby League administration and other clubs agreed to allow Norths to host games for all 32 teams, with six on Friday night and the rest Saturday.
It has been a long hard road and the Norths juniors wouldn’t have made it without the tremendous community support they have received.
It has come from the likes of leagues club president David Haug, Ipswich City Division Six Councillor Cheryl Bromage and canteen convenor Rita Langer, to all the parents and citizens who pitched in to keep the club afloat.
“Cheryl Bromage has been fantastic for the juniors and the club,” Scanlan said.
“We wouldn’t be where we are now without her support.
“Rita Langer has been running the canteen for 41 years and is there of a night time putting lollies in the lolly bags.
“Haugy has been such a trooper.”
While the flood and its aftermath threatened to ruin the club, surviving the ordeal may have made it stronger than ever.
“We’ve got record numbers at the club, which is a surprising thing,” Scanlan said.
“We had 406 members the last time I counted, which is 30 or 40 up on last year.
“It’s been amazing the support we’ve received.”
It was everything Scanlan could have hoped for.
His desire now is to turn the close-knit club into even more of a family friendly environment.
“We had our tiger mascot at the club on Saturday,” he said.
“There were heaps of kids wanting to hug it and get a photo taken.
“It’s all part of trying to achieve a community club.
“Everybody was well behaved and the crowd was fantastic.”
As to the action on the field – Scanlan can hardly believe the standards that were on display.
“There were a lot of good games,” he said.
“I can’t get over how talented they are, compared to when I was a boy.
“The things they do in under eights and nines I would never have dreamed of.”
There will be more joy this weekend with the Tigers hosting games on Friday night and Saturday, with the last game at 2pm.
It will be a while before the smiles disappear.
Courtesy of the Queensland Times
Jay Buchan – Wednesday the 20th of March 2013
www.qt.com.au
