Teams have come from far and wide for the 15th Australian Masters Games, and all with the goal of gold luring them to Adelaide.
There are few who have done more travelling in their time though than Bomaderry FC.
The tight knit group are no stranger to racking up the kilometres for the love of football, having travelled as far as Turin, Italy to participate in 2013 World Masters Games.
It’s a long way from the small town of Bomaderry, New South Wales – some two hours south of Sydney. And whilst Adelaide is not exactly Italy in terms of distance, the boys from Bomaderry FC are ready to take the Men’s 50+/55+ football competition by storm.
Team Manager and player, Alan Barnes believes travel is actually an integral part of what makes participating in different Masters Games such a draw for his side.
“We decided at the end of our careers we would try and do as many Masters Games as we can,” the 55-year-old said.
“It’s just a way of all the guys being brought together and travelling to see the country and the world.”
This love for adventure and taking part in Masters events has Bomaderry FC already making plans for their second World Masters Games appearance – when they travel to Auckland, New Zealand in 2017.
It’s just one excuse Bomaderry FC use to participate in the games, but another is quite obviously a pure love for their sport.
Before taking their game to national and international levels, the team had been playing together since 1999 in Bomaderry’s over 35 competition, with many of the team members having played since they were children.