A little bit of rain could not keep the children off the field and Opening Day has come and gone for the Troy Parks and Recreation football and soccer leagues.

Monday night marked the first games for the four football and 27 soccer teams. And for the first time, all the leagues were together at the Sportsplex.

“This is something new to have the football here at the Sportsplex,” said David Dickey, parks and recreation youth sports coordinator. “The football parents have told me they like it better over here because they feel like they are a part of everything. It is good to now have everything under one roof.”

In previous years, the Termites and PeeWees of the Troy football league waited for the end of the Charles Henderson Middle School season to start playing football, but this year brought change.

The Troy and Brundidge Termites and PeeWees became the JV and Varsity squads of the Dale County Football Association this year. The two cities merged with Daleville, Ozark and Fort Rucker to form the league.

Troy will field one team in the Varsity league and three in the JV league, while Brundidge has one in each.

Dickey said he hopes Troy being a part of the association will garner more interest in the football program.

On Monday, all teams except the Troy Varsity team opened their seasons.

Dickey said the festivities went well in Troy.

“This is the kind of weather you want to play in,” Dickey said. “The dream of any football or soccer player is to play in the rain. And the coaches enjoy this kind of weather. It is cool and it is much better than playing in 120 degrees.”

Not only was the weather cooler for the opening day, the people showed up in force.

“We are having a good showing out here and I know it will be packed tomorrow as well,” Dickey said. “We have heard no complaints about the weather and the opening night has been terrific. We needed this rain on the fields after so many days of practice.”

The Varsity league of the Dale County Football Association plays games on Mondays, with the exception of Tuesday, Oct. 14. The JV squads also play on Mondays, with the exception of Tuesday, Oct. 14 and Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Troy soccer takes place Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during the week. Check out The Messenger online for scores every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Monday.

Click here for Troy Rec soccer gallery from Sept. 15

Click here for Troy Rec football gallery from Sept. 15

Click here for Troy/Brundidge Rec football gallery from Sept. 15