Come rain or shine, muddy grounds or dry, as the autumn evenings cool and darken, the Maleny show grounds light up. Beneath dazzling stadium lights, the green playing fields speckled and sparkle with a variety of brightly coloured training teams. Each Tuesday and Thursday after school the ovals are awash with sounds of coaches calling, whistles blowing, parents and friends chatting while watching, volunteers assisting in the busy canteen, younger siblings running and kicking around the perimeter as balls are flying everywhere- the beginning of the season and soccer fever sweeps again through Maleny.

The Maleny Under 13′s Boys team reformed this year with boys from the Under 12′s stepping up to make up numbers enough for a playing team. Often noticebly smaller in statue than their opponents, the boys show a lively enthusiam which is developing into a winning determination, while enjoying the challenge of the game. As each week passes, the team is honing their skills under the direction of team managaer, Allyson Williams and coach Madhu Kazony.

Having played soccer since early childhood in Ivory Coast, Africa, Madhu says “Soccer is a game that unites people from all around the world. Children can play anywhere, in the fields, in the streets, in their school grounds, wherever there is space to kick a ball. The best teams are those that know how to have fun, who know how to move and dance with the ball. Those team players feel like the ball is an extension of their own bodies.”