Hunter Christian Churches Football

Today, on the two‑year anniversary of his passing, we pause to honour a man whose legacy continues to shape every corner of HCCF and Maitland Park. James “Biff” Smith lived and breathed our motto “For God Through Sport”, not as a slogan, but as a daily commitment to service, faith, and community.

James gave everything he had to HCCF. Through years on the management committee, through countless meetings with councils and stakeholders, through the long and painful fight with cancer, he never stopped working to make sure Maitland and our association was thriving.

HCCF was led with strength, humility, and love because he served as President right up until his final breath.

His legacy is not only in what he built, but in how he made people feel: welcomed, supported, valued, and part of something bigger. That is the mark of a true servant leader.

We are deeply proud to see Maitland Council honour James with the new Celebration Wall at Maitland Park, a permanent reminder of the impact he had on the sporting community.

His plaque reads:

In recognition of the valuable contribution to the sporting community
James “Biff” Smith

If you find yourself at Maitland Park in the coming weeks, we encourage you to visit the wall near the amenities, pause for a moment, and remember the incredible man he was - a man of faith, a man of service, and a man whose legacy continues to inspire us all.

Biff, thank you for everything. Your work, your heart, and your spirit lives on.

📣 End of season fixtures update:

The fixtures team has been working incredibly hard to make sure we can play as much football as possible this season.

Unfortunately, the ongoing wet weather means we are likely to lose access to some grounds.

To keep games going and ensure every team gets the chance to play, we will begin implementing 1pm, 3pm and 5pm time slots starting this week if required.

This change has been discussed with club delegates over the past few months, and we’ve held off for as long as we could.

We know this may be frustrating, and we completely understand. Our priority is doing what’s best for the whole association and keeping the season moving.

We will always do our best to give you as much notice as possible if your time slot needs to change.

What this may look like for your team:

• Women’s & Division 5 — playing at 1pm
• Division 3 & 4 — playing at 1pm or 3pm
• Division 1 & 2 — playing at 3pm or 5pm

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through the rest of the season, praying for favourable conditions for the remaining 9 weeks!

A great Division 2 match tonight: New Heights CC vs New Vine Lakes LIVE at Stevenson Park, or online!

What a great day for football! ☀️
The ground changes for today have been emailed out to teams and can be found at www.hccf.org.au/fixtures/

Happening now! Come down to the BBQ at Federal Park and help us raise funds for the Mark Hughes Foundation Beanie for Brain Cancer in honour of our dear friend, Ian Pettigrew. Every bit of support makes a difference.

If the Socceroos didn’t get your heart rate up enough this morning, then tune in online to the Match of the Round between New Vine Lakes and New Heights CC. If you’d like to enjoy a bacon & egg roll while you watch, come down to Federal Park to support the Mark Hughes Foundation Beanie for Brain Cancer.

The 1pm Match of the Round is Hunter CC vs New Vine Maryland. Head to Federal Park to show your support to them and to the Mark Hughes Foundation Beanie for Brain Cancer in Ian Pettigrew’s honour.

Tomorrow, we will host our Ian Pettigrew Round, raising money for the in Ian’s honour. We will have a BBQ and merchandise, including beanies, for sale. This is currently planned for Federal Park, Wallsend. We will confirm this in the morning.

Playing their Round 6 match tonight, Division 5 New Heights CC take on Mayfield Baptist at Stevenson Park, Mayfield. If you can’t make it to the ground, watch online!

TONIGHT will be the Division 4 match between New Heights CC and Mayfield Baptist. Watch at the ground or online via hccf.org.au/live