This is one more than 2023. The Scorpions will be involved in the under 11s, 12s and open men.

"We had an under 12s team along with the men last year,'' treasurer/registrar Trudy Schultz said.

The 12s went through the season unbeaten to claim the premiership.

"That created a lot of interest,'' Trudy said.

"There's more parents who are willing to travel, so we've entered the under 11s this year.''

Trudy said it is a big commitment from players and their parents due to the travel involved.

"We play at Taree, Wingham, Pacific Palms, Lansdowne and all in between,'' she said.

Competitions were scheduled to kickoff last weekend, but fell victim to the weather.

Gloucester men face a tough first-up opponent on Saturday. The Scorpions will host defending champions, the Wingham Warriors. Wingham has dominated the Southern League competition in recent seasons.

"Our men struggled a bit last year, but it was a learning curve,'' Trudy said.

"There's a lot more interest so hopefully they'll go okay.''

Joel Sheely is again coaching the side. Nine sides will contest the Southern League open men's premiership this year, slightly down on previous seasons. All other clubs are from the Manning/Great Lakes.

The club will again run a locally-based competition for juniors on Saturdays.

"This is separate to Football Mid North Coast and it means families don't have to travel,'' Trudy explained.

"All our games are in Gloucester. We cater for players aged up to 18 and usually have up to 170 each week.''

The number of registrations from females has rocketed in Football Mid North Coast this year and is up 31 per cent on 2023. Trudy said Gloucester is no exception.

"Girls' interest has certainly increased because of the Matildas,'' Trudy said.

However, Trudy admits entering a side in the Football Mid North Coast Southern League women's competition appears to be way off yet.

Matches are played on Friday nights and this year a record 14 teams have entered.

"We would never say no to that, but it would depend on the amount of interest we could get,'' Trudy said.

Last month Gloucester juniors aged from 7 to 11 played a halftime game when Newcastle Jets took on Adelaide FC in an A-League clash at Newcastle.

"They got to run out onto the field with the players,'' Trudy said. "That was awesome.''