South Kempsey Oval lights up

Photo courtesy Lachlan Harper, Macleay Valley Argus

 

Another significant milestone was achieved for footy in the region with the first ever night match played at South Kempsey Oval last night (Wednesday).

The match was played between the Port Macquarie Magpies and Bellingen Bulldogs Under 15 teams and was a reschedule of the washed out round 2 fixture. On field, the result was a 16 point win to Port who bounced back well after a sluggish first quarter saw them trail by 19 points at quarter time. The win sees Port leap into top spot on the ladder by just four percentage points over Coffs Harbour Breakers.

The lights at the ground were installed thanks to funding provided by various levels of government and AFL NSW/ACT. This brings the number of venues within the region that can host night matches to five, which provides a great opportunity when scheduling matches. More importantly, it means that the Macleay Valley Eagles will be able to train until later in the darker winter months where they have previously been limited by the availability of daylight.

Whilst the Eagles haven’t fielded teams in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns is for the club to be back on the park next season and access to lights will prove to be a huge bonus.