Justine Martin kicking goals at Avoca FC
Avoca FC’s first ever female President Justine Martin has continued to push on with her hard work and dedication for the club and sport as Community Football prepares to kick-off from the 1st of July.
The proud 49-year-old has been a regular feature for the Central Coast Football based side for the past thirteen years, the last three of which she has been overseeing Avoca FC as the President.
It was a case of lending a helping hand at first that led to Martin getting involved with the Avoca FC club which then led her to becoming the President ten years later.
“I went along to my first AGM many years ago knowing nothing about how the game worked but wanting to help as I saw few people doing so much.
“I remember saying that I knew nothing but would like to help.
“I walked out as an Equipment Manager and as anyone at a club knows that’s a huge job. What made it interesting was that I really did not know what I was getting myself into.
“I held that role for ten-years and still to this day do all the ordering of our clothing and merchandise although others are responsible for all the training and playing kit handouts.
“As President I now oversee most of what goes on at the club, but I rely heavily on my committee who are extremely hardworking and dedicated. Some have been there longer than me and without children playing anymore, but they love the sport and the club and continue to give back so much.”
As mentioned in many previous articles on the amazing volunteers football has in NSW, Justine, yet another gem, held nothing but praise for her tight knit crew at Avoca FC who have worked their socks off in getting towards hosting yet another grassroots season albeit under different circumstances thanks to COVID-19.
“As anyone involved in community sport knows we are nothing without our volunteers.
“Most of us get involved as we see the same people doing things year after year and we want to give back on top of giving kids the best experience possible.
“When I started on the committee many years ago, our club had about 350 members.
“We are now at 850 with 70 teams and are one of the largest clubs on the Central Coast and I firmly believe we have grown, despite our lack of a dedicated home ground, due to the fact that our committee is passionate and dedicated and organised.
“With 70 teams, it also means we have 70 coaches and 70 managers plus age managers and coordinators, the list is endless.
“Everyone contributes in some way to make the season positive for the kids.
“We can always do with more volunteers but we have a core group of about 12.
“Communication is key, especially this season with so much disruption, and I feel our club communicates well with our members and most people understand that we are all working parents and do the best we can with the time we have.”
Wise words spoken by Justine who was left a cut-up figure when COVID-19 struck and put a stranglehold on society and our sport.
Nevertheless, the Avoca President found time to relax but then hit the ground running once news filtered through that the season was back on track.
“As I’m sure most committees and clubs would have been when COVID-19 hit and the season stopped before it started, it was a shock.
“We had done all the hard work of pre-season and then we were two weeks away from kicking off, then nothing.
“I grieved for about two weeks and was quite lost.
“Then soon after I relaxed during the lockdown period.
“I actually got to know what free time really was. I was lucky that I was able to continue with my work outside of football.
“When things started going well with the control of the virus spread and we got word that the season was actually going to happen, I was thrilled.
“The Central Coast Football Association worked very hard and even though the season will be different in some ways, we need to remember that a few months back the thought of playing in 2020 was not even considered.
“I think its vital that we maintain momentum stemming from this as if we didn’t have the opportunity to play in 2020, there would have been a chance that we’d run the massive risk of losing out on the many kids not wanting to come back to our sport.”
Justine’s love for football came thanks to her kids who played the beautiful game as youngsters.
“I really knew nothing about football when my kids joined.
“I grew up watching NRL and Football was something kids played but not at a senior level.
“Our family are Central Coast Mariners members and we’ve really enjoyed watching them play especially during their dominant periods – watching the boys win the Grand Final live in 2013 was one of the highlights of my life.
“I now love nothing more than watching my own boys play for the Sharkies on Sunday’s. It’s the best part of my week and makes all the work worthwhile.”
Football is life in the Martin household and it is the sport alone that brought together the family’s lifelong memories and friendships further pushing the notion on how powerful the round ball game really is.
“My husband and I have both played football in the past while two of our boys still play the game.
“I feel extremely lucky as a mum of boys that I got to spend so much time with them through their teenage years and still see them play the game today.
“It’s this unbreakable bond we share that this very club has become that very place we have all grown up in with so many friendships forged today.
“The people at the club are like my second family.
“They are all fantastic people and what I love is that there are many families involved where the kids have now played for twenty-years and those kids are now taking up roles as coaches and committee members, replacing their parents.
“To me, that’s a sign of a healthy club, the longevity of the members and their willingness to give back.
“That is the legacy of the Presidents and Committee Members that have come before me and something that I hope will remain long after I’m gone.”
