It's been a long and tireless process but the Glen Innes Celts celebrated their first official outing on the field on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's the inaugural year of the North West AFL under-14s competition, and the inaugural year for Glen Innes' first junior Australian Rules Football club.
Aaron and Robyn Harvey, along with a hard-working committee, got the club up and running and on Sunday, they took the field for the first time at a gala event in Armidale.
The Super Sunday event saw three clubs - Tamworth Roosters, Glen Innes Celts and Inverell Saints - take part.
"Fantastic. It really blew me away actually, how the kids went about it. I was over the moon," Aaron Harvey said.
"Only three of these kids had played AFL before so for the 13 on the day to go out, play and commit themselves all day - they had two hours of football over four games - and they never stopped all day."
Junior Aussie Rules teams require a minimum of eight players to take the field with a maximum of 12 per team on the field at any one time, plus four substitutes on the bench.
The Glen Innes Celts have 13 boys and girls.
"On the field we played the first game for the day," Harvey said.
"We ended up kicking the first goal for the day and we won the first game for the day.
"Then we lost our next three but the kids held their own considering they have never played before."
There will be more Super Sunday clashes as the season progresses but the Celts will play their first full match against the Saints at King George Oval this Saturday from 11am.
For Harvey, it isn't the results he is worried about, he is just thrilled to have the sport running in Glen Innes.
"If we can push it as much as we can, not trying to take anything away from other sports, we just like the idea of having another sport for these kids," he said.
"We are passionate about being involved with it.
"If we can get two or three more kids out of their rooms playing sport then that is a great thing."