“From where it was last year  -when we were lucky to get three sides together – indoor soccer has exploded,” he said. “We’re looking at seven sides in this year’s comp.”

The club has been holding exhibition nights on Wednesdays to draw players before the season kicks off in two weeks. More than 50 players and supporters turned out for the friendly matches last Wednesday. 

International visitors were one factor behind the surge in popularity for the world game, Ryan said.

“I’ve noticed a lot of European flavour on the field,” he said. “People are coming out from overseas to work on properties and this is a great opportunity for them to get their soccer fix. They might have to work over the weekends, but they can come in on a Wednesday night and get a game in.”

Ryan said standards had “definitely lifted” but local players could cut it with the new arrivals. 

“It’s not a game of brute strength, it’s a game of touch,” he said. “It’s about short passing and if you watch blokes like Kenny Wright and Adam Ha you see how well they do it.” 

The PCYC will hold one last exhibition match this Wednesday before starting the 21 week season. Ryan said new players would still be accepted.

“There are still spots available so they can come down and speak to some of the team captains and have a run,” he said. 

Non-members need to purchase a $25 annual PCYC membership and each team pays $750 for the season, which is split among the players. 

The atmosphere is friendly, but Ryan said he expected teams to give it their all. 

“I think it’ll be fairly competitive, there’s a few boys there with a lot of desire to win and it’ll go right down to the wire,” he said. “The last grand final saw a big come from behind win and I think this one will be hard fought as well.”