Goonellabah Football Club will celebrate 50 years of proud history when a sold out audience including an expected 180 current and former Hornets supporters gather tonight from 6pm to celebrate the club that was formed in 1969.

The origins of the club are traced back to the popularity of soccer with the children at Goonellabah Public School.

The enthusiasm of parents saw a collective drive that attracted support from the school principal Clive Brenton and the generosity of business people like Bruce and Jan Watson who kitted out 33 teams, which by any standards is a marvellous contribution.

The club progressed over time with many junior and senior teams to evolve the Hornets into a club that would become the equal of any other locally. Female soccer in this region has a special connection with Goonellabah FC due to the efforts of the late Callan McMillan Senior and his late son Callan McMillan Junior launching women’s soccer at the club in 1974.

The region’s most decorated female player, Lisa Casagrande, is a Goonellabah FC junior and went on to become a Matilda in 1994 and was inducted into the Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame in 2015.

The depth and quality of junior players and subsequently senior teams saw Goonellabah FC become a powerful club in the early nineties and the Renato Cheli coached men’s premier division teams won both minor and major titles in 1994 and 1995.

Jim Kelly has been around since day one and the main field at the club’s spiritual home of Weston Park was named the “Jim Kelly Field” in 1974 to recognise his work.

Football Far North Coast General Manager Steve Mackney with two of Goonellabah FC’s Life Members Jim Kelly and Renato Cheli.

Development at Weston Park has seen the facilities grow from one field to a second plus a junior field and a licensed club.

The Hornets have had many epic victories at a venue that has often been a fortress with many a team dreading the road trip to play in front of a vocal Hornets crowd.

Players who have risen from the club’s junior ranks to represent Australia at youth or senior level apart from Casagrande, include Craig Foster, and Adam Fittock, with exceptional players like Adam Hughes, Paul Foster and Stephen Kelly playing overseas or in various national competitions.

Paul, Craig and Stephen Foster at Weston Park, Goonellabah, in 2009 which is possibly the most time that the siblings had played on the same team together. Photo: Steve Mackney

There is sure to be much reminiscing on tomorrow night about the wonderful memories created over half a century.

Visitors who are arriving in town for the function and local supporters of Goonellabah FC are invited to Weston Park tonight as the Hornets play Football Far North Coast Premier Division leaders Byron Bay FC with the Premier Division match to kick off at 8pm (Premier Reserve Grade 6pm).

The Hornets' Coach John Eakin is hoping the crowd will spur his players on with the club appealing to fans to wear any 'Retro' gear and come down to the Premiers and Reserves home games.

"We will aim to flood the midfield and hit them high and wide on the counterattack. Baitok Ring, Liam Kelly and Kaiden Powell up front should provide a scare for them. Robbo (goalkeeper Brad Robertson) usually loves the Byron game and I’ll expect a massive game from him," said Eakin, who will play a narrow back four and a deeper midfield to try to counter the threat of Byron Bay's South American strikers Diego Vazquez and Lisandro Luaces.

STEVE MACKNEY