EVEN at a local level, the politics of sport can be just as brutal as anything that takes place in Canberra. Just ask the passionate group that runs the North Ballarat City Football Netball Club.

For the 2006 and '07 seasons, the reborn entity was forced to play in the Bendigo league, while its rivals conspired to kept it out of the Ballarat-based competition.

Memories of countless beatings in the 1980s and '90s steeled the resolve of North Ballarat's opponents. They feared the Roosters would use their VFL and TAC Cup presence to create a new dynasty.

Finally, late last year, a truce was called. North was allowed into the Ballarat Football League, albeit pinned down by a raft of financial and recruiting restrictions.

A week ago, the Roosters achieved a long-awaited milestone when they held their first Ballarat league home game. For club president Paul Leahy and secretary Terry Hay, it was a grand occasion.

"It means a hell of a lot," said Leahy, as the reserves clinched a win over Sunbury. "I'm proud, emotional. It's just a fantastic feeling. This is not being derogatory to the VFL part of the club but if you lose your attachment to the grassroots level, you've lost your soul."

In many ways, North Ballarat has been a victim of its own success. Often a laughing stock in its early incarnations, it was derided for having a bog-hole home ground and a tin shed for clubrooms.

But through the tireless work of many people, including Lorna Bromley, who has headed the ladies' committee for the past 28 years, the Roosters dramatically improved their lot. Fund-raising was directed towards development of assets and junior teams, rather than high-priced imports.

Both on and off the field, the philosophy paid off spectacularly. Between 1963 and 1995, the Roosters won 14 senior premierships. The proceeds of the success enabled the building of the North Ballarat Sports Club, a gaming and entertainment venue, and the construction of player facilities that remain light years ahead of North Melbourne's Arden Street set-up.

By 1996, the Roosters had outgrown their local competition. When the VFL launched its regional push, North Ballarat, along with Traralgon, made the move.

For the '96 season, North fielded teams in both the VFL and Ballarat league. But after the Roosters won the senior and reserves flags in the BFL, the situation was deemed untenable. At senior level, North became a solely VFL club. Trips to Frankston and Springvale, rather than Sebastopol and Melton, became the norm.

Locally, North Ballarat's absence proved a godsend for its rivals. Redan, in particular, climbed off its deathbed thanks to an influx of players and supporters. Among them was former North committee member Ian Cooney, who followed his son to the Lions and later became their president. Fuelled by North juniors, Redan broke through to win a premiership in 2002 and has since claimed three more flags.

But not all North Ballarat people saw this as a positive development. "We needed to have a situation where junior players and their families didn't have to leave the club," Hay said. "If they are good enough to go to the Rebels (in the TAC Cup) or the Roosters (in the VFL), we embrace that. But the reality is, most boys aren't playing at that level."

The North Ballarat Junior Football Club, which fields teams from under 16s down to AusKick, decided to act. Leahy, who had been a junior team manager, was asked to lead the charge.

In 2005, the junior club's first application to field senior teams was rejected by the BFL board. "Those people were put under extreme pressure from outside forces," Leahy said. "I can recall taking the call and kicking the hell out of one of the walls, tears in my eyes. I sat down next to Terry, had a beer, and he said, 'That's it, we go and see Geelong and Bendigo'."

Shortly afterwards, Leahy signed a 10-year deal to play in the Bendigo league. The first season was a nightmare. North didn't win a senior game and in the final round conceded 47 goals in a 249-point loss to Golden Square. "That was our real low point," Hay said. "Our boys were all 18 and 19 years old. They were physically and emotionally wrecked. We as a committee were under the pump, too."

Last year, the Roosters improved markedly, winning five matches. But Leahy knew he had to continue the push for a return to Ballarat.

Eventually, the dream came true, although with a number of limitations. They include a ban on fielding more than two VFL listed players and a cap on the amount of money that can he handed down from the North Ballarat Sports Club.

"We're the only club in Victoria that has got those sort of conditions and I don't think we should have them," Hay said.

But North is also the only Victorian Country Football League club with direct links to both TAC Cup and VFL teams. Given this, the restrictions have gone only some way to appeasing the Roosters' rivals.

Two weeks ago, under the leadership of senior coach Aaron Clark - the son of former ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark - North Ballarat City began its new life with a 74-point loss to Melton. The youthful team was a far cry from the dominant Roosters sides of the 1980s and '90s.

Yet, despite expectations of another loss, a large crowd turned out last Saturday for the game against Sunbury. Among those in the grandstand was Cooney, who has not only returned from Redan, but also taken on the role as North Ballarat City vice-president. He watched happily as the Roosters quickly mastered the wet conditions, before tiring to lose by 16 points.

This weekend, North has the bye, but coming rounds will mark the return of many old rivalries, starting next Saturday against the Ballarat Swans. Given the tumultuous recent years, Leahy expects no favours.

"I came to the conclusion over the journey that some of the people out there hate North Ballarat more than they love their own club."