Forbes has hosted more than 800 young soccer players in a huge weekend at the Botanical Gardens.
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Sunday's annual club gala day attracted 72 teams from all over the district, and game day ambassador Paul Wade was amazed by the turnout.
The former Australian soccer captain said he was "over the moon" to see so many kids on the local soccer fields for the round robin competition.
"When I was laying out the grounds yesterday I was thinking, you know what Doug, maybe a few too many," he said.
"If you took a photograph of this and sent it to NSW they wouldn't believe it - they'd think it was photoshopped.
"It's amazing and the weather is just sensational."
Wade took time to move around the grounds speaking to and encouraging the young players.
"They know the names of Socceroos and Matildas, which is great, they've got heroes," he said.
"It's not just about their playing, well it is about them playing around and having a kick, but they've also got something to aspire to."
Wade arrived in Forbes to dusty, blustery conditions on Saturday and helped at the grounds before speaking at a dinner with local families that evening.
He shared some of his insights from his career as an international player and commentator, and a little about his health.
"I try to give (the kids) a bit of an idea of this is what you might have to do if you want to be a Socceroo - starting with, can you sign your own autograph," Wade joked.
Turns out having your photo taken several hundred times is also a pretty key skill: Wade posed for snaps with hundreds of kids at Sunday's gala day before handing out medals in the afternoon's presentations.
