Table of Contents
By Libby Hyett
For most of my primary school years, I dreaded class sports. Letting kids choose their own teams felt like a weekly lottery of humiliation: would I be picked last, second last, or on a really good day, third last?
Decades later, I somehow found myself playing soccer with my nephews in the backyard at Ebenezer. They’re far more talented than I am, but I make up for it by using strategic auntie tactics (mainly pushing them over). Somewhere between a tackle and a giggle, I heard myself think: Maybe I could do this for real.
So I signed up for All-Ages Women’s soccer.
After limping my way through the winter competition, a group of us decided to form a six-a-side team for the summer season run by the Lowland Wanderers. The Hawkesbury Super Sixes draw players from across the region, with men’s, women’s, mixed and junior divisions. We named ourselves The Ball Busters and proudly collected our team shirts. Pink, purple, and navy.
“The games are shorter, so it’ll be easier,”
I told my Grandpa, Cecil Hook, a long-time Colo Cougars member and a 1970s Coach of the Year.
“I think you’ll find it harder,” he replied. “With fewer players on the field, there’s more work to do.”
He was right.
Still, the community around both local clubs quickly became part of why I kept turning up. Several of my teammates also play in Colo Cougars’ long-running six-a-side competition at Cougar Park, so I went along to watch a few games. There, Colo Life Member Karen Blanch shared the club’s history, proudly rooted in grassroots football since 1971.
“We’re playing against people in the same spirit as us,” she said. “No one’s playing for sheep stations.”
Karen introduced me to Angela Hall, who explained how the club has grown over the decades. From its beginnings at McMahon’s Park in Kurrajong to purchasing their current fields on Inalls Lane, the community spirit runs deep.
“The turf on Field One was donated and the kids laid it themselves,” Angela said. “It actually brought the club closer because everyone wanted to be involved.”
Even the field lights have a story: they were salvaged from the old Wonderland Sydney site after its 2004 closure. But with roadworks set to cut through the club’s car park, Colo is hoping for upgrades—including new lights on Field Five—and dreaming of one day having a clubhouse.
Back at the Lowland Wanderers, President David “Parko” Parkinson and Vice President David Gearin emphasise the same spirit of connection.
“Being volunteer run, we’re here because we want people playing,” Parko said.
“It’s a social event rather than a competition per se,” added Gearin, who was weaving Christmas tinsel around the canteen window when I arrived. Their fields are leased from council, and grants—paired with their own fundraising—help keep the facility running.
On finals night, I watched teams with brilliantly punny names compete: Son of a Pitch, Not Fast Just Furious, FFFC, Netsix and Chill, Goobers, and Double Ups. The atmosphere was relaxed, cheerful, and unmistakably local.
Since taking up soccer, I’m slightly older, slightly more injured, and significantly more prone to groaning when I stand up. But I’ve gained confidence and community. I’ve found a space where I can show up, have a laugh, get a decent workout, and probably swear more than is strictly necessary.
I’ll be signing up again when winter registrations open.
As I walked back to the car park after another Monday evening game, the sun was setting behind my teammates. I waved, feeling a version of myself I hadn’t seen since childhood. Shy, tentative, but emerging from my shell.
This time, though, I’m stepping onto the field on purpose.
