Soccer may be sweeping all before it as Australia's preferred participant sport, but the code in the Highlands is making steady - rather than rapid - progress.
Information released by a number of national research institutions earlier this week confirmed the round-ball code had become more popular to play than any other sport in the country.
In fact, in NSW alone there are more than 500,000 registered players, almost 200,000 more than traditional favourite cricket.
However, while the soccer boom has exposed a dearth of playing fields, referees and officials in Sydney and other parts of NSW, the Southern Highlands remains excluded from the world game explosion.
"Our numbers are pretty good and growing reasonably well," said Gary George, president of the Highlands Soccer Association. "It's not like we can't find anywhere for the kids to play like in other places, but we could do with a few more officials.
"There is probably more interest in the code as a whole. It's not translating to a massive jump in numbers just yet. We hope it does, though."
George believes the popularity of soccer, as with other codes, is dependent on various fluctuations and trends.
"Rugby probably did well out of the World Cup last year and AFL numbers seem to go up around here when the Swans are doing well," he said. "If we (Australia) could make a World Cup - forget about even winning the thing - who knows what would happen?"
The number of junior participants (aged 12 and under) remained strong, George said, but he admitted to being concerned at the decrease in teenage participants.
"Around here we seem to lose them when they get to high school age," he said. "We've got plenty of kids around the ages of five to 10, we just can't seem to keep all of them and our competitions around the under-14 and under-15 level struggle as a result.
"I know our association loses some players to school teams. But some do leave the code altogether and I can't really pinpoint why."
Craig McDuff, a teacher at Chevalier College who is involved with the Highlands under-11 representative side, said he felt there were a few reasons soccer lost teenage players.
"I think a lot of parents like their kids to play soccer when they are really young as it is relatively safe yet still teaches them good skills and the idea of playing team sport," he said. "When they've developed a little more, parents may be a little more at ease with letting them play heavier contact sports. Also, if they have been playing soccer for a few years, they're probably keen to have a go at something else."
McDuff said the popularity of soccer at Chevalier, historically more of a rugby school, was definitely increasing.
"At the moment we have more teams than ever," he said. "One good thing is the growth in girls soccer here. More girls are keen to get involved every year."
Both George and McDuff felt positive about the future of the code in the Highlands, saying strong growth could be recorded if those involved hitched their wagon to the national soccer boom.
"Soccer around the country is getting bigger and bigger so the opportunity is there for us," George said "We just need to make sure we encourage youngsters and make the right decisions on their behalf."
McDuff added: "Parents support the code because they feel it is safe and enjoyable," . "We have to build on this sentiment."
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