Illawarra sport's road to recovery after COVID and the big wet

But through the chaos, sporting managers are determined to make up for opportunities lost, persevering through the weather to give our community the wins, losses, goals and cheers that we've sorely missed.

Ashton Sims, Group Seven rugby league operations manager, said not even the rains will stop them this year.

"We've gone through two years of COVID and now the rain has started to rear its ugly head," Sims said.

"But we adapt, we persevere and we overcome. We're totally committed to getting in a full season."

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For juniors in the Illawarra, the opportunity to get back into sports means everything, Sims said. COVID-impacted seasons have taken first tries, first wins and first seasons from them.

"There are some juniors there who might have never played a semi, never played a grand final, and that's what we want to get back," he said.

"We're dedicated to getting these seasons in, getting those rep games for those kids because we want to make sure they stay engaged in sport."

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COVID isolation took a heavy mental toll on many and Sims points to local sport as a vehicle to help young people return outside back into the community.

"Kids and parents are seeing the value in community sport. Looking after physical health in turn looks after your mental health, and it helps you stay connected to family, friends and community," he said.

For women's rugby league, a sport growing rapidly, a loss of momentum during COVID could have been particularly damaging. Sims said enrolments in women's and girls' teams around the Illawarra show no signs of slowing, though.

"We've seen the women's game in our sport charge ahead in leaps and bounds," he said.

"We've got to deliver competitions which feed that appetite."

Ann-Marie Balliana, CEO of South Coast Football, said after a rocky few years, the demand for club soccer is huge.

"People were deprived of their community sport, so there's a keen interest to get back into it," Balliana said. "It's fantastic to get people back on the path."

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From 2020 to 2021, South Coast Football registrations skyrocketed, with an additional 12,000 players keen to get on the field.

While Balliana said she didn't know where the ''unprecedented growth'' came from, it's clear that after two years inside the community is ready to show up for local sport.

Rain, hail, or shine, community teams are sure to be kicking goals this season.

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