Nambour community spirit rises with Wildcats’ return
By Richard Bruinsma
The Nambour Wildcats Churches Soccer team has returned to Nambour, bringing a massive injection of fun, enthusiasm and community spirit back to their traditional home town.
The Wildcats are now play out of new improved grounds beside the Police Citizens Youth Club at Burnside – drainage means the fields are playable in all sorts of weather, generous donations and sponsorships mean new goal posts and nets, they have a new fresh jersey designs and other home-ground improvements, and funds are at the ready to purchase grandstands.
“Nambour Wildcats Soccer Club has around 170-plus members currently, and, as people realise that we’ve moved back to town, I imagine the numbers will climb significantly in the years to come,” club president Ronnie McKenzie said.
“Part of moving back to Nambour and freshening up the Jersey - with a design inspired by the Nigerian World Cup strip from 2018 - was to bring the club back to its former glory.
“Former president Ross McMaster was huge on having everyone within the club helping out in one way or another, making it a family-friendly atmosphere. Being back in Nambour will allow us to focus on bringing that back into the fray.”
In what is an unusual tale, but with a happy ending, the Wildcats were one of the Churches Soccer competition’s founding clubs when it formed in Nambour in the 1960s, but it out-grew local facilities so it moved to a new home base at Mudjimba, 20 minutes out of town, around 2011. That move, unfortunately, also acted to sever geographic ties with Nambour, so member numbers suffered.
“Being so far away saw the numbers consistently decline and sponsorship was hard to get due to it not being in a favourable location,” Mr McKenzie explained.
“In order to get back to Nambour, we needed to buy goal posts, and both Mayor Mark Jamieson and Cr Greg Rogerson helped out with $5000 from their discretionary funding to help purchase the posts.
“Sergeant Mick from the PCYC was also more-than-accommodating with providing the facility we needed for our home ground location, and it’s arguably the prettiest location on the Sunshine Coast for soccer.”
The club secured considerable sponsorship, including Gentle Dental at Nambour, who has pledged $10,000 over four years, as well as Priceline Pharmacy Nambour and Pink Ribbon Community Services both providing $2000 for the year. Heritage Community Bank at Palmwoods also gave $1800 to pay for extra signage.
The return home has also other considerable benefits for community spirit and for local small businesses.
“I, myself, have lived in Nambour for the past 13 years and have fallen in love with the town,” Mr McKenzie said. “Owning my own business, I am all too aware of how hard it is in Nambour for businesses to succeed with so much attention going into the new CBD; any help, particularly the kind that brings people into Nambour from surrounding locations, can be a massive boost.
“Having the club in Nambour allows our sponsors to enjoy a lot more benefit in sponsoring NWSC, due to proximity. On home game Saturdays, it’s not unusual to have 650-plus people coming to the grounds and, often times, a lot of those families are venturing through town or into it after their games finish.”
The Wildcats’ return is good news for a town that is very much loved by a lot of people but is awaiting a return to its glory days as a bustling and vibrant shopping, dining, entertainment and sporting destination.
“Our aim is again to be one of the best clubs on the Sunshine Coast and grow it to a place where the pride runs deep, kids are proud to wear the jersey again and the town runs green on game days,” Mr McKenzie said.
“I have dreams of building a purpose built facility with lights, so the adults can play back in town as well, a club house and to have a program where kids can either come to play socially or develop their passion through elite, professional development.”
To comment about this story, or any other story, send a letter to the editor to editorial@svgazette.com.au