They played this year in a diverse range of non-competitive, competitive and representative games, as well as taking part in skill acquisition and school-based opportunity programs.

The focus now will be on indoor football activity at the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium in competitions that are conducted by Ric Bolus.

The future for football is as bright or bleak as those who have any capacity to bring about change or benefit to the sport at any level.

This is the purpose of this insight and I call upon anyone with an interest who is willing to lend a hand in looking at innovations to help the sport.

Football in this part of NSW has opportunities in coming years, but help is needed for it to seize the day.

It is important to think that the six-year-old in 2017 who has an innocent desire to kick a football around in a non-competitive environment will, in 10 years, be a 16-year-old playing in an improved setting and enjoying improved training and coaching and a better administered environment than the status quo of 2017.

The Sydney-based Company Renworx recently started earthworks and field remediation for three football pitches at Proctor Park.

The work is being generously funded by Bathurst Regional Council in what many hope will be the beginning of a range of opportunities for this sport in this community.

The temptation for most will be to put their boots, footballs and bags away and to have a look at the end of January to see whether they are interested in playing, coaching, refereeing, sponsoring or helping with the administration of a team, club or association in 2018 (on what should be far better playing surfaces than they will have remembered in 2017).

This year has seen the arrival of an inflatable football pitch that is in place at Paddy’s Hotel, set up as a social football gathering opportunity by the Community Opportunity Shop and Paddy’s from funding courtesy of the Giving 4 Grassroots Australian Sports Foundation.

Family First Credit Union has provided funding of $350 to the Community Opportunity Shop to buy a range of international football coaching DVDs and books from England.

They have initially been made available to Denison College Bathurst High and Kelso High.

​Those involved in football should remember the fundraising chase for investors, sponsors and other grants doesn’t have to be confined to inside Australia.

We can also look overseas for football equipment to offer new teaching, learning and training experiences for players, coaches, teachers and administrators to establish a point of difference for football in western NSW.

For those with an interest in the game, football conferences and football education and research provide opportunities to look at the sport’s future.

Football in Bathurst will emerge stronger in future years if people show an interest in the sport and a desire to find time in their busy lives to improve it.