Junior soccer players participating in a tournament at Speers Point this week haven't had to look far for any extra motivation.
With a short stroll off the pitch, they can watch the FIFA World Cup games live on television inside Northern NSW Football's (NNSWF) headquarters.
The likes of Messi and Ronaldo have provided plenty of inspiration for the kids playing in the Community Youth Championships.
"There's been a fair few goal celebrations replicated out on the field so far," Mitchell O'Keefe, NNSWF's operations and compliance coordinator, who is overseeing the tournament, said.
"There's no better time to be playing football than when the World Cup is on.
"Everyone is thinking about it, everyone is talking about it and everyone just wants to get out there and kick a ball.
"It's fallen pretty perfectly for us.
"Inside the facility we've got the games playing once they're on, and it's drawing quite a crowd."
The tournament, which incorporates age groups from under-12s to under-16s, both boys and girls, began on Monday at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The girls wrapped up with finals on Wednesday, while the boys conclude on Friday.
Players represent either their member zones, or Indigenous sides open to players from all seven zones. The member zones include Newcastle, Macquarie, Hunter Valley, North Coast, Northern Inland, Mid North Coast and Far North Coast.
"Any players that play in the premier youth league, or our other premier competitions, aren't allowed to enter," O'Keefe said.
"It's strictly for kids that play community football.
"It's a good opportunity for them to get a chance to represent their zones when they don't usually get to. They're usually just playing in their local towns.
"In the girls, we have 24 teams across our member zones, plus we have the representative Indigenous sides from the northern NSW region.
"With the boys, we have 22 teams across all those."
The multi-day tournament is a significant economic injection to Lake Macquarie and surrounding areas.
More than 800 kids are involved across the week.
In order to play more games, the matches are shorter with 20 minute-halves, but still played on full-sized fields.
Due to the weather, games have been restricted to the facility's two synthetic pitches
It's a round-robin format with a sole final of first against second in each age group.
"There's pride involved when you get to represent your region, especially as a young kid," O'Keefe said.
"Even probably more so for the kids in the Indigenous sides, being able to represent your culture, your background and your mob.
"They're getting more and more teams each year."
