Campbelltown Stadium comes to life this weekend with the arrival of hundreds of Under 6 and Under 8 players for the Wests Group Macarthur Minis Rugby League gala day.
NSWRL Regional Manager Scott Borg said organisers are expecting 1,400 kids from 146 teams to descend on the famous south-western Sydney ground.
“It’s never been done at Campbelltown Stadium before – normally it would be just one of the local suburban grounds,” Borg said.
“With the sponsorship of Wests Group Macarthur this will provide the opportunity to run out of the tunnel and have the real NRL-ground experience.”
Previously the gala day has been done within the confines of Wests Tigers-Macarthur junior clubs.
“But now that we play a combined conference across Macarthur, we decided to do it with everyone,” Borg said, adding that teams from NSWRL’s Group 6 Rugby League would be taking part.
To accommodate such a large number, teams will be given a 40-minute time slot to come and play two games.
“You run out onto the field with the kids from the previous game clapping you out,” Borg said.
“Then you play a game for 20 minutes, then swap over and play a second game before it’s your turn to welcome the next group of players out onto the stadium.”
After games, each child will receive a training T-shirt and bucket hat, as part of the sponsorship by Wests Group Macarthur.
Normally teams in the Wests Tigers-Macarthur Junior League and the Group 6 Junior League do not play each other.
“This gives them the variety of playing someone else – new faces and fresh competition,” Borg said.
There will also be face painting, inflatable pass the ball, other give-aways, alongside official team photos being taken.
“It’s designed to give the kids a great experience to finish off the season – as this was originally supposed to be the final round - and encourage them to come back next year,” Borg said.
The 2022 calendar was being stretched another week, Borg said, as some games were lost with wet weather intervening earlier in the year.
“They actually play Saturday this week, the gala on Sunday, and then another game the following weekend,” he said.
“It’s a great way to celebrate playing the game we all love.”
