Soccer and Rugby Gala Days

Saturday 1st March was Springwood Soccer Clubs annual Gala Day for the younger players and the first opportunity this season for the players to get out against another team.
We were rung up the night before by John, the coach, to be told to have Ishbel out at the park by 11 for an 11:30 start and that the kids would be playing three games or so.
Arrived around the 11am mark after haring around all morning. Jamie and Ian were up at the crack of dawn to take Jamie to the rendez-vous point for a Venturer hike. It's part of the Venturer skills program and Robbie had already done it so it was just Jamie going from our house. They got to the rendez-vous on time but another boy hadn't got his permission slip signed and everyone had to wait while his parents were called and someone came to give permission for him to go. They were not so much hiking as going down the Grose River on li-los.
Once they were back I was able to go and do the weekly grocery shopping. Ian had done it all the weekend before while Rob and I were at the First Aid course so we had heaps of meat but had run out of fruit and vegetables by Wednesday.
Anyway, back to the park at 11am. Found the rest of the team, kids all rounded up and given a pep talk and then we find they are only playing ONE game and it isn't until 1:30pm. Eeek. There was some 'entertainment' there - some jumpy castle things and Winmalee RFS had their truck on show. I took Ishbel and Elki over for a play in the big red truck and met up with Scott, one of the fellows from last weekend's course. There was also a police car and the police were giving away cardboard make-it-yourself paddy wagon money boxes so that kept the girls busy until their game.
The rules have all changed for the younger players this year. In Ishbel's age group, the Under 8s, they are playing 7 a side. There is no goal-keeper, the goal is tiny and once a player has scored 3 goals they are not allowed another kick at goal. The officials say it's to make things faster and fairer. They will also only be playing other Springwood teams. There are about 10 Under 8s teams. That means all the matches will be at the home ground instead of all over the mountains and western Sydney.
Ishbel had a very good game, getting much more involved than she often does. She had told her coach at training that she was 'rubbish' at soccer - she disproved that.
She'd also apparently growled at him for something during training and told him she had a dog and "wasn't afraid to use it." We had Bella with us on Saturday - I don't think John is having any more nightmares about attack dogs!
Finally her game was over and we were able to head down to Lapstone for Robbie's rugby union day. He'd gone down with Karen, Dan and Ben a bit earlier in the day so we met up with them there. We also met up with old acquaintances Cathy and Tony whose son, Mitchell, used to do the Fencing with Robbie and who is in his rugby team.
They were having a sausage sizzle and an opportunity to buy some gear. Ben got some boots but the team supplies shorts, socks and shirts and Rob got his boots a few weeks ago so we got away scott free!