Throughout the years, many of us have taken to the field as part of a team in our region and made lifelong friends as a result.

Be it at amateur level, or right up to those who represent their country in sports, the enjoyment of playing as a team and, you would hope, winning as a team is a great bonding exercise for all involved and the stories from those heady days are so often looked back upon with real fondness.

In today’s gallery, we see a great collection of teams and players from down the years in a set of pictures that will, no doubt, bring back happy and cherished memories of days gone by for those involved.

From the 1960s, right through to recent times, these photographs not only evoke the sheer fun of the game itself but also, pointedly, the true power of community that sport so often fosters.

Of course, during the Covid-19 pandemic, team sports have only been played sporadically during the past year and, until this week, they were still banned.

With that considered, these images take on an extra dimension of poignancy.

Nevertheless, as many of those who are members of a team will undoubtedly already be aware, getting back with teammates will now be in the offing.

The Government road map outlined plans for the phased return of some of our most cherished activities, including the poised return of team sports from today.

In fact, easing of restrictions on organised sport; which also includes golf, tennis, and other outdoor sports, means that many teams that have been unable to play since December are now free to get back to their favourite pastimes.

As a result, many have been counting the hours and days before can get back on the pitch with their teammates.

For those featured in today’s gallery, recollections of the past will bring the magic of team sports alive.

For everyone else, it will serve to simply make one even more excited about the return to action for so many teams in our region.

As ever, if you have memories to share about these scenes, please do get in touch!