Campbell steering ACU to greater heights

It was once a dream to run a football club which has now become a reality for hard working and forward-thinking female administrator Ashleigh Campbell, now President of the Australian Catholic University who are part of the Canterbury & District Soccer Football Association family.

“I took a role at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) as Sport Programs Coordinator for NSW/ACT.

“I was just finishing up a contract at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and one of the key drivers for applying for the role was the objective to start ACU’s first community football club.

“I had previously worked at the Football Federation of Australia for close to four years in the League and Event department and grew to love the game and wanted to be involved in its administration again.

“ACU was in the process of finishing a development at the time which included a FIFA certified football pitch, as well as state of the art changeroom facilities, so within the first few month of my employment, I drafted the guest licence application with the Canterbury District Soccer Football Association (CDSFA) and the rest was history.”

Founded in 2018, Campbell and co introduced the club’s first Executive Committee in 2019 where it was that year she also became Club President.

Since the club’s inception in 2018, Campbell has seen the club grow in player numbers, a positive sign considering Community Football’s late start and condensed season due to the COVID-19 pandemic which shut down the sport earlier in the year.

“We have grown from 36 members across two teams in 2019, to 105 members across five teams this year which is a great achievement.

“The club is doing well, although like most other community clubs, our members are experiencing quite a few injuries due to lack of conditioning in the lead up to the rebooted season.

“The club provided members with a 6-week technique and strength and conditioning program to do at home, but it is not quite the same as attending regular sessions each week with your team mates but it certainly kept us connected to our members and that has really helped in ensuring the club was moving forward despite the challenges of the restrictions.

“We have seen a couple of milestones in 2020, we’ve more than tripled last year’s membership numbers as well as seeing our All Age Men’s side participate in our first ever FFA Cup match in March.

“And while not wanting to jinx us, we saw our first ever women’s team win an official match in the CDSFA Division 2 competition and are currently undefeated after six rounds.”

As it has been for every football club across NSW, strict COVID-19 rules and regulations have been put in place in ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of each participant was top on their lists in a fight to flattening the curve.

Campbell has reassured that ACU have been on point in assuring their club have been following all the procedures needed in providing a safer environment for not just their participants but for the visiting teams as well.

“As we are part of the university, ACU is continually monitoring the situation and is following advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Australia’s Chief Medical Officer and Universities Australia, and have developed a pandemic plan to respond to a major coronavirus outbreak in Australia.

“As a club, we have put the below measures in place to ensure a safe environment for our members and visitors to our venue:

• All executive committee members, coaches and team managers are COVID-19 Safe Officers
• All members have been encouraged to download the COVID-19 Safe app
• All members and visitors are required to check in to all training session and matches
• No member is to attend training or matches if they are sick or unwell
• Football NSW and Government signage are displayed around the venue in key locations
• The club provides wipes, hand sanitizers and gloves and all equipment is washed or wiped down after sessions.”

Campbell isn’t just a Club President – she also dons the boots each and every weekend with her beloved ACU side.

“You could say I had a late start to my football playing career. I had a short stint at North Epping Rangers then spent two seasons at Balmain & District Football Club and am currently playing for ACU FC.”

Volunteer wise, the 33-year-old is hoping that in time, the club will be able to generate many more but have been aided by its strong connection with the University which have seen students offer their time in assisting the club.

“Volunteers are the heart of any community club and often clubs cannot run without them.

“Given the club is only 18 months old, we are in the process of growing our membership base, as well as creating a culture that values and encourages its members and their supporters to volunteer, so that our members will give back to the club.

“We are also fortunate to be part of a university, whereby many of the degrees include a number of community hours, so we will look to work more closely with faculties to encourage students to be involved in the club.”