NIAS events manger Brent Hartley said it was the largest event the academy had ever hosted.

“We had teams travelling from Brisbane through to Sydney, Coffs Harbour through to Dubbo and everywhere in between,” he said.

“We’ve already had positive feedback, and if we can hold on to these teams, who knows how big it will be next year.

“In saying that, our focus is quality, not quantity.”

Mr Hartley said the massive event wouldn’t have happened without the “huge behind the scenes efforts” of the individual sports conveners, and the support of Macquarie Bank.