It started in a pub.
It became a family.
40 years of grassroots football in Bathurst.
From a handful of mates at the Farmers Arms to one of the biggest clubs in the district.
Our story
In 1984, a bloke named Mark Dunbar and a couple of mates walked into the Farmers Arms Hotel in Bathurst with an idea: start a pub team. Nothing fancy. Just a low-grade side in the local soccer competition — somewhere they could have a kick, have a laugh, and maybe win a few games along the way.
That was it. That was the whole plan.
Forty years later, that pub team is Macquarie United Football Club — one of the largest clubs in the Bathurst District Football Association. From MiniRoos to seniors, men's and women's, we've grown from a single team of mates into a club with hundreds of players across every age group.
But here's the thing that hasn't changed: the reason we exist is the same reason Mark and his mates sat down at the Farmers Arms in the first place. We just wanted somewhere to play football with good people. We still do.
What We're About
A place where a five-year-old can lace up boots for the first time and fall in love with the game. A place where adults can stay fit, blow off steam, and make mates they'll actually want to have a beer with. A place where women's football is growing because people finally decided to make it happen. A place where the canteen queue is long, the opinions are loud, and nobody really cares about the score as much as they care about each other.
We've always been known for looking after our juniors. Some of the kids who started in MiniRoos at this club have grown up and now play seniors. Some of them coach. Some of them bring their own kids. That's not a marketing line — that's just what happens when a club gets the culture right.
Fun, fitness, and friendships. It's been the thread through everything we do since 1984. It'll be the thread through the next 40 years too.
Our Home — Proctor Park
Proctor Park is where it all happens. It's our home ground, our training base, and the place where hundreds of Bathurst families turn up every weekend to watch their people play.
The fields were redeveloped in 2018 and they're some of the best in the district. If you haven't been before, come down on a Sunday — you'll find us.
Proctor Park, Bathurst NSW 2795
Our People
Macquarie United is run entirely by volunteers. Every single person who keeps this club going, from the committee to the coaches to the bloke who opens the canteen at 7am, gives their time because they care about this place.
Temeka Jones — President
Chris Allman — Vice President
Carlee Dreeves — Secretary
Emily Gallway — Treasurer
Katie Crawford — M.P.I.O
Prue Murphy — Junior coordinator
Amanda Cooper — Canteen coordinator
Lauren Bird — Socials & Marketing
Izzy Speed — Events coordinator
Josie Drummond — General Committee
Jake Davis — General Committee
Richard Crawford — General Committee
OUR LIFETIME MEMBERS
Mark Dunbar, Greg Hallett, Craig Anderson, Peter Bennett, Eddie Allman Snr, Andrew Speed, Kevin Allen, Geoff Rankine, Christopher Allman, Eddie Allman Jnr, Roy Thomas, Dave Sutton, Jim Sheehan, Karen Sutton