Shortly after they had arrived at the village’s football ground and made their way to their assigned field, a coach of one of the local teams let slip that the Cudal and District Soccer Club has something in the region of 90 junior players.

A swift Google search later, the dad found that according to the latest Census there were just 553 people living in Cudal.

Was there an inordinate number of offspring being produced in these parts, the Orange-based man wondered?

No, the obvious answer for the club’s massive participation rate was right in front of his eyes.

Looking around at the group happily manning the barbecue, the woman armed with a shovel making light work of the cow droppings on the back fields, and many others pitching in, it was easy to see that hard work was driving the club’s success.

That spirit of generosity had obviously attracted a host of players from the surrounding farms and area.

For such a small community’s to almost hit the triple-figure mark in its junior membership of any sport is nothing short of amazing.

Well done to all involved.