It is also, without a shadow of doubt, a sporting city. And we are entering a very special time for all sports fans: the period from mid-August and into September means finals time for winter sports.

The football codes are especially popular in Orange. They always have been, and with the success in recent years of the city’s clubs looking likely to be repeated in the weeks ahead, there’s no reason for our love affair with boots and balls to wane anytime soon.

Or is there?

Our city’s junior footballers are also starting their finals campaigns, and as they run onto the field there may be some parents, coaches and supporters wondering just how much longer this will go on.

It seems that every year we see the release of a new report highlighting the potential damage to young (and not so young) brains that can come from playing contact sports.

And while it’s true most of the damning data so far relates to American football – a sport where not so long ago it was considered a reasonable tactic to use your head as a battering ram – rugby league and rugby union officials are also taking note.

So, too, are mums and dads.

Most of Orange’s young heads playing finals football in the coming weeks will be protected by headgear, but sometimes that is not enough.

Professional sporting bodies have introduced strict concussion codes that deal with players who suffer head knocks during games but it is much harder to police at the amateur and junior levels.

Of course, accidents can happen in any sport in a flying cricket ball or hockey ball can do as much damage as a heavy tackle.

But the question that parents are increasingly trying to answer is just how do they weigh the potential risks of a sport against the undoubted benefits that come from being active and part of a team?

And while serious head injuries remain uncommon, how can we really know what the long-term future might hold?

It’s hard to imagine Orange without the rugby codes, but as much change as there has been so far to protect young players, we can be sure there is much more to come.

Meanwhile, to all players competing in all codes, good luck and a safe, injury-free finals season.