It was round two of the Football Mid North Coast All-Age Men’s Southern League. Making the trip from Hallidays Point, the Barracudas sought to take on hosts Wallamba FC, after both teams had suffered opening round defeats. But on this day, the competition table was of less significance.

In what must be something particularly rare, three sets of father and sons took the field to battle for the points on offer, including Hallidays Point’s Paul, Joshua and Jacob Sandilands; Andrew, Jarrad and Casey Geer and Wallamba’s Dave, Mitch and Penn Weller.

Paul Sandilands is a 42 year-long stalwart of football in the region who was bursting with pride at being able to play with two of his sons.

“I’ve played with just one son on the team before, but to have Joshua and Jacob there at the same time was huge, very special. I was excited for the entire week in the lead-up to the game. There are a lot of incidents of fathers and sons playing together on a team, which is great, but I can’t remember three sets of fathers each with their two sons being involved at the same time.”

Sandiland’s team mate, Andrew Geer, was equally enthusiastic whilst also singling out 20 year old son Jarrad as the prime mover in getting the family together through football.

“This is Casey’s first year in the sport. It was Jarrad’s initiative to make it happen as a way of us all getting together. It’s tremendous,” said the proud dad.

Wallamba’s Dave Weller agreed.

“It was a fantastic feeling. Having coached Mitch and Penn in the kids teams and watching them transition over the years, it really is an honour to run out on a park with them as men and team mates. It is truly special.”

There’s a 1970s hit song about father and son relationships, penned by Yusuf Islam, then Cat Stevens. The song’s message is a timeless one about time-of-life and the respective view points of the young and the older and, hopefully, wiser. Familial relationships are the axis around which our communities turn and the bond between father and son is often a particularly important one.

Well, Aub Ferris bore testament to that last weekend. Six sons, three fathers, two teams and one game, which by the way ended up nil-all.

Perhaps it was appropriate there was no winner on the scoreboard, because the father and son scenes at Aub Ferris last weekend would have warmed the cockles of Yusuf’s, or Cat’s, heart.