A northern Illawarra footy club is reeling after hoons tore up their home ground on Saturday night, leaving them with nowhere to play.
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The Northern Suburbs Bullpups had just celebrated their first junior rugby league game of the season before Jim Allen Oval was turned to mud from a car(s) doing burnouts.
The Bulldogs senior club was set to start their season next week.
President of the juniors Kellie Favelle said she was devastated the offenders had torn up "close to half the field".
"They've just done doughnuts all the way through the middle of the field," she said.
"They've come up the northern bank and onto the field.
"Because we've had so much rain in the last couple of days that I think some of the divots are about 20 centimeters deep. It's caused a lot of damage."
It's understood the attack happened around 1am Sunday.
Ms Favelle said local residents had witnessed a silver/grey colour Toyota Land Cruiser, with flood lights on the roof, in the area.
She said a landscaper had looked at the grounds Sunday morning and estimated there could be up to $15,000 worth of damage.
The oval is owned by Wollongong City Council, however it was not hopeful the turf could be fixed by next weekend's games.
Ms Favelle said it was a kick in the guts for her "little club" which was already struggling to hold onto memberships.
"It's been very difficult competing against the bigger clubs," she said, citing they had gone from six junior teams in 2018, to two-and-a-half this year.
"We really didn't need this on top of it; it's devastating actually."
A post to the football club's Facebook page had been shared more than 140 by Sunday afternoon, with dozens of comments of support.
"We have such a fantastic community," Ms Favelle said.
"So many people in the northern Illawarra don't leave ... and so many people have either played for Norths, or their family members or friends, there are not many people who are not affiliated in one way or another."
Anyone with information should contact officers from Wollongong Police District, who are currently investigating the incident, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.