The announcement on 2 October of the Dayboro and District Soccer Club as the inaugural winner of the Football Brisbane Junior Club of the Year Award ahead of 73 other clubs is an outstanding achievement.

The announcement on 2 October of the Dayboro and District Soccer Club as the inaugural winner of the Football Brisbane Junior Club of the Year Award ahead of 73 other clubs is an outstanding achievement.  The win recognises the solid work of the club in season 2009 through the encouragement and participation of young children in the unique Small Sided Games soccer format; for developing a culture of fair play and ensuring high disciplinary standards amongst playing groups during games;  club performance as an entity in its dealings with the soccer community and Football Brisbane;  and the success of the Under 12 Dingoes 2009 premiership side (witnessed by a huge Dayboro crowd some weeks ago).
Importantly for people involved in the soccer club, the Award represents a reward for the hard work of volunteers.  In recent times the club has achieved the establishment of a permanent home for games and training on a quality grass surface preserved by club members to ensure maximum player safety and ongoing enjoyment of the game throughout the winter months.  Work by club officials has also resulted in the Moreton Bay Regional Council providing funds for the construction of a purpose-built ‘shed’ for storage and canteen purposes.  Both of these initiatives are a positive investment in the future of the club and thanks go to the Council for their support.
The club’s success on the 2 October also reflects more broadly known elements of the value of sport in country towns found elsewhere in Australia.  The literature review findings of the Children and Sport report published in 2004 by the Australian Sports Commission strongly reflects aspects of the Dingoes’ organisation of junior soccer in Dayboro.  For example, the participation of children in soccer can now be considered as ‘embedded’ in the life of the community.  It is evident on every weekend in winter that the club is sustained by ‘strong volunteer support and sponsorship contributions from local businesses’; and the club remains for families a ‘focus of identity and communalism’.
Congratulations to the committee members, past members of the club and the children of Dayboro.  Playing sport in any code is a fantastic thing for children to do and all of us who have an association with Dayboro soccer are proud of the club’s accomplishment and recognition by the larger Brisbane-wide soccer community.