2024 State Dinner Awards

This is Sue’s 50th year of involvement in football which began in March 1975 when she served with the now defunct North St. Mary’s Soccer Club. Sue contributed to several roles in the club for 4 years before joining the new St. Clair Soccer Club in 1979.

Sue was very involved with the St. Clair club which included holding most positions over the years including Secretary, Registrar, Treasurer, Canteen Manager to name but a few, while also becoming involved with the Nepean Association, often working with the late Barbara Horley.

However, it wasn’t until Sue and her family moved to the South Coast in late 1988 that she became deeply involved with the Batemans Bay club and then the Eurobodalla Association when word got out that Sue had been involved in the sport for many years.

Sue introduced a number of new systems at the Eurobodalla Association which included player photos, proof of age I.Ds as well as a basic weekly fixture list.

Sue’s roles on the Board of Eurobodalla Football have covered all aspects of community football over 35 years, even including a short stint with grassroots refereeing.

Sue has been the Rep Convenor for Southern Branch for over 20 years now and enjoys watching the junior players flourish at the next level of their football pathways. Her involvement in running the Southern Branch Championships has been a genuine delight of hers.

As a Director on the Southern Branch Board, Sue became the delegate to the Football NSW’s Association Standing Committee, serving on the Board for four years. The liaisons and camaraderie Sue has experienced with Staff at Football NSW as well as delegates from all over NSW has been a highlight of her involvement. We acknowledge and thank Sue for her 50 years of service to Football.

Victoria serves her club, Hazelbrook FC on their Committee as their Female Football Coordinator, is the U13G/1 Coach, the All Age Women’s Div. 2 Manager as well as being a dedicated player.

Victoria has been playing at Hazelbrook FC for over 15 years, coaching their current U13G/1 team for the last five years, winning this season’s Grand Final and making the final of the U12G Nepean FA Cup in 2023.

She joined her club’s committee this season to fill the vacant Female Football Coordinator role, driving new initiatives such as working with Wentworth Falls FC on the inaugural Unity Cup, running Female Football Skills Clinics with team-mates from the Women’s Division 2 squad and arranging sponsorship for the club’s proposed 2025 Ruby League squad.

She has been a key member of the Women’s Div. 2 team for some years, while managing the team, and is a key part of organising the club’s push to compete at the district’s highest female football level; the Ruby League, in 2025.

Victoria intends to continue her football journey in 2025, going for her C-license as one of three club members through the successful grant application to further female football coaching.

This year’s award recognised the fair play shown by Granville Districts Soccer Football Association’s (GDSFA) All Age Men’s 6 side Auburn District FC.

During the GDSFA Grand Finals, tragedy struck the entire football community when Volkan Ergun collapsed in the All Age Mens 6’s Grand Final between Auburn FC v Auburn District after he scored a goal. The GDSFA football family sprang into immediate action assisting where possible.

Unfortunately Volkan passed that day, our condolences to the family in what was a tragic event. The match was stopped after Volkan collapsed with the score 1-0 to Auburn FC – a goal that he had scored.

Monday, following this tragedy, the GDSFA received an email from the President of Auburn District Mr Mahmoud Chekchok advising that his All Age Mens 6 team had discussed it and requested that the result of the Final stand as 1-0. The club went against the match being forfeited as they wanted the result to stand to leave a long-lasting legacy in Volkan’s honour.

There were four Football members that received Special Recognition Awards on the night highlighting their commitment to the sport.

Eschol Park FC’s registrar Jared Lazarus was acknowledged after demonstrating exceptional courage during a medical emergency while Jordan Springs FC’s Lindy Fenton, Colo FC’s Karen Blanch and Nepean Football Association staff member Cheryl Lynch were recognized for their bravery and incredible selfless actions during a medical episode at a Nepean Football Association Club meeting.

Brad has been a part of Revesby Workers FC for many years as a player and became part of the committee seven years ago, holding various committee positions including Coaching Coordinator, Sponsorship Manager and Groundsperson.

As coach of two under 14s teams, Brad also works with Junior Coaches on session planning, providing tips and advice, and led the Winter Kindy Program where he assisted eight youth coaches.

Brad has organised a structured program for the Kindy kids as an intro to Football and the Club, while also encouraging Youth players to participate and coach the program.

In 2024, Brad has been instrumental in gaining key sponsorships for the season which has helped the club fulfil some long-awaited goals.

Brad is always the first to help with any club activities and major events, with his commitment and passion for the club nothing short of remarkable.

At an Association level, Brad has also been a member of the BDAFA Judiciary Panel for two years and was appointed Judiciary Chair in 2024.

John first got involved with the Glenwood Redbacks Soccer Club in 2003 when his son started playing in the Under Sixes and John volunteered to manage the team.

Over the next twenty years, John has served on the Board of the club, including as both Vice President and President, while remaining an avid supporter watching his son and daughter take to the field each week.

Among the first to the ground and the last to leave, John received the club’s ‘Heart of the Redback’ Award in 2017.

John served his first stint on the BDSFA’s Board between 2007 and 2013 and contributed to key developments including the establishment of Blacktown Football Park.

John returned to the BDSFA Board in 2018, serving as Deputy Chair, a role that he still holds today.

In 2022, John was inducted as one of three Inaugural Life Members of Glenwood Redbacks, recognising his contribution and dedication to the development of the club.  Later that year, John also received Life Membership to BDSFA following twelve years of service as a Director.

Steffen Frandson has coached both the First and Second Grade Women’s teams in the Dubbo Association for 25 consecutive years. He hung up his coaching hat earlier this year with a Grand Final win; his sixth grand final win with the RSL 78’s, such was the success he endured.

Prior to his time with the RSL 78s, Steffen was involved with Westside Panthers Football Club for five years, where he coached the women’s side and played men’s first grade.

He then went on to serve 25 years with the RSL 78’s, serving on the committee in various executive positions, while also organising uniforms, training kits and every other task imaginable.

In 2024, Steffen coached four sides, including two women’s sides, an under 17 side and also stepping in to help an Under 12s team.

Through his years coaching, Steffen has experienced amazing success, regularly making it into the finals, while also representing Dubbo in the Champion of Champions on several occasions.

Steffen has an admirable passion for junior pathways in football and has had an immeasurable impact on the development and promotion of female football in the area.

“Stevie” is a long-time ever-present football tragic who has been an active daily contributor at Pagewood Botany for the past ten years.

Stevie took up a formal role as Pagewood’s Head Coach ten years ago and gradually transitioned his focus to incorporate all age groups at the club.

As a Board Member and committed volunteer, Stevie has played a huge part in the significant success of Pagewood Botany FC while helping to lay the foundations for a bright future for the Club.

Anthony is an individual that has gone about their volunteering without fuss or fanfare. A gentle individual that does not say a lot but is thoughtful and considerate when they do.

Anthony’s involvement in the game goes back more than 40-years as a significant figure in football officiating and its community administration. He has served on the Canterbury Referees Association as Secretary on three (3) occasions, totalling more than 14-years, and has also held the position of Junior Vice President,

Still an active referee, mentor and assessor to this day, Anthony has received the President’s Award on five (5) occasions, the Branch Coaches Award, Referee of the Year and is a Life Member of the CRA.

Anthony has also been a significant advocate for girls and women’s football over the years, having served the Association Board for five-years, holding positions as Secretary and Girl’s Representative Convenor. He served the Association’s Junior Grading Committee as well as the Women’s Grading Committee for eight-years during the formative years of women’s competitions.

Having also served as the Association’s delegate to the now defunct Sydney Branch of the former NSW Amateur Soccer Federation, Anthony’s passion for the development of referees and the growth of the female game has been a long-standing feature of football in the region.

Sandy has been an active and vocal contributor to women’s football from the start of her playing career with University back in 1981.

As a University Women’s Committee member from 1981 until 1988, Sandra also filled the role of secretary and President of the Illawarra Women’s Soccer Association (IWSA), illustrating her willingness to help develop and grow the female.

Sandra was a key participant in the establishment of the Illawarra United Stingrays from 2006, helping to provide the local female playing community with a new pathway to representative football. As an acknowledgement of her passion and hard work around the redevelopment of this pathway, Sandra was inducted as a life member of the Stingrays.

Sandra has also been a Member of the Football South Coast Board from 2011 and has been an integral member of the Women’s Council from 2014 until present.

During her more recent role on the Women’s Council, Sandra has led the promotion of the Women’s Charity Rounds to include community links with services that promote and support Women’s Health and Wellbeing such as SASSHI and the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre.

Sandra has worked tirelessly with the other Women’s Council members and the Junior Council to continue the growth of the women’s game within the region, including the recent Women’s Illawarra Premier League.

Leo Blanda has been an integral figure at Ramsgate RSL FC serving as Club President since 2014 and contributing significantly to the Club’s success and development. His leadership has helped transform the club into one of the most progressive and inclusive football clubs, with Leo proudly receiving Club Life Member status in 2023 for his services.

Leo dedication to growing female football is commendable. Under his leadership, Ramsgate RSL FC was one of the first local clubs to establish a Senior Vice President for Women and Girls Football. This initiative sparked the steady rise in female participation, resulting in the formation of numerous non-Competition Female-only teams and a significant increase in female registrations.

Leo was instrumental in relocating Ramsgate RSL FC to their current home at Scarborough Park East, working closely with Football St George and Bayside Council to secure facility upgrades, including new canteen facilities, re-turfing, and an irrigation system.

Leo is a hands-on leader, with his weekly contributions include line-marking, setting up fields, coaching multiple teams, and even manual labour to ensure the fields are in top condition. His tireless work has been complemented by the club’s 80 registered volunteers, whom he has managed and motivated.

On top of his long serving Club President role, Leo has contributed and provided valuable counsel to successive Football St George Boards, including as a member of the Board Advisory Committee and contributing to the Football St George Disciplinary Committees.

Darcy Lound’s unwavering commitment to the Macarthur Football Association over the past four decades has made him a worthy recipient of the Football NSW State Award. Serving as Chair of the MFA Board from 2016 to 2024, Darcy has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication and a passion for growing football in the region.

Darcy’s involvement began as a player with Minto SC, with his long-term dedication to the Association seeing him contribute to various major initiatives and also spanning a nine-year stint as the Chair of the Macarthur Rams.

As Association Chair, Darcy played a pivotal role in introducing girls-only Miniroos competitions, advocating for a new synthetic pitch at Lynwood Park and establishing the MSAP division.

His recent decision to step down from his role as Chair is a testament to his commitment to spending more time with his family, however, his legacy within the MFA will continue to inspire future generations of football players and administrators.

John is a true champion of the Manly football community. Over the last 20 years, he has not only played a huge part in the operations of Beacon Hill Football Club but has also played a leading role in the Association’s Defib and Football4All programs.

John joined Beacon Hill as a player in 2004 and the following year stepped up to build the club’s Over 35 teams to the point where they are now a leader in the Over 35s space.

Four years later, he officially joined the Beacon Hill Committee as the Over 35s coordinator, after undertaking the role previously in an unofficial capacity, and also took on the much-needed Grounds Coordinator role for five years at the Club.

John’s community spirit was a driving factor in starting off-season and pre-season six-a-side competitions, charity days and community days as Club fundraisers.

In addition to his commitment to Beacon Hill, John has gone above and beyond in relation to the Manly Association’s Defib and Football4All programs.

He played a lead role in forming a group that drove the Defib program, making the Association a leader in this area for the past 10 years and bringing about the birth of the MWFA Defib Cup.

John was also a driving force in the MWFA’s Football4All program at Cromer Park through a partnership with Active Opportunities, where he and an army of volunteer coaches spend every Saturday morning running a program for young football players with cerebral palsy and other related disabilities.

In 2017, John was awarded the Association’s Meritorious Service Award for his work with Beacon Hill Football Club and the Manly Warringah Football Association.

A dedicated member of Pitt Town FC since 2015, Melissa has held numerous key positions within her club, including President, Secretary, Registrar, Treasurer and Age Coordinator. In addition to her administrative roles, she has also served as a player, coach and manager, executing each of these roles with unwavering dedication and enthusiasm.

Melissa has been instrumental in driving significant changes within Pitt Town FC, propelling the club to achieve a 2-star Club Changer program status. Her advocacy for the program is exemplary, and she has generously offered her expertise to assist other clubs in achieving their first star.

A tenacious advocate for her club, Melissa has tirelessly engaged with all levels of government to secure grants and has persistently campaigned for the long-overdue development of a new venue at Fernadel Estate.

Melissa is also a staunch supporter of Nepean Association initiatives, with a willingness to collaborate seamlessly with its staff and the Board, volunteer for events and consistently bring a fresh and vibrant approach.

Her commitment to football has been further illustrated through her involvement in the FNSW Legacy Program for Female Leaders in Sport.

Her contributions have significantly enriched Pitt Town FC and the broader football community, exemplifying the spirit of dedication and service that this award seeks to honour.

Christine first became involved in football as a child with her father a referee and her brother a player.

Her return to football came when her son began to play for Mount Colah Football Club’s Under 8s. Since then, she has remained involved with the club, holding various positions on the committee since 1999 including Registrar, Secretary and President, and being honoured with Life Membership in 2006.

Christine started volunteering for the Ku-ring-gai District Soccer Association in 2001, filling a casual vacancy on the Women/Girls Committee as Registrar/Recorder. In 2002, Christine would take on the role of Women/Girls Football Chair until 2006, before returning in 2010 and 2011.

During her years with the Women’s Football Committee, new age groups including women’s over 30s were introduced, the first girls-only non-competition football was started, while there was considerable growth in female player numbers.

For many years, Christine also contributed to the former Junior Football Committee, notably as Junior Football Registrar and Recorder, and in the capacity of joint Chair.

Christine was honoured with life membership with the NSFA in 2011 and in 2013, was presented with a FOXTEL A-League Community All Stars Award for her dedication to football.

In 2012, Stacey volunteered as the Canteen Manager for Bomaderry FC and her list of roles continued to grow each year, spanning to team manager, club secretary and the club registrar, before even putting her hand up to coach.

From 2016, Stacey added to her Club roles by joining the Shoalhaven District Football Association’s Board, with her role continuing to this day as competitions and summer soccer organiser, register and cadet coordinator.

Stacey has also filled the role of team manager for Southern Branch with her team raising the Under 14 Association Youth League Championship in 2022.

Shoalhaven’s nomination acknowledges Stacey’s invaluable impact on the local football community and is testament to her unwavering commitment and innovative leadership.

Joel embarked on his journey as a football referee in 1964 with the Sutherland Shire Referees Association, continuing there until 1969 before joining the Eastern Suburbs Soccer Referees Association.

From 1971 to 1973, Joel took his officiating talents to the NSW Federation of Referees, now known as Football NSW, dedicating over three decades to refereeing for the Gladesville-Hornsby Referees Association.

Expanding his expertise indoors, in 2003 Joel became part of the FNSW Futsal Association, where he served in various board roles until 2010. After relocating to the South Coast, he continued his passion for the sport by joining the Shoalhaven District Football Referee Association (SDFRA), actively refereeing until 2018.

Throughout his time with the SDFRA, Joel has contributed significantly, taking on multiple leadership positions, including President, Vice President, Appointments Officer, Secretary, and currently, Treasurer.

In recognition of his exceptional service, the SDFRA honoured Joel with a life membership in 2019.

Moreover, between 2017 and 2019, he played a key role as the referees’ coordinator for the National Indigenous Football Championships.

As Joel approaches the conclusion of his tenure with the SDFRA at the end of this year, the Association are preparing to bid farewell to an individual whose career has greatly enriched the sport. His ‘retirement’ marks not just a significant transition for our association but also represents a poignant moment for football broadly. With a distinguished career that has spanned more than six decades, Joel’s departure will be deeply felt throughout the community.

Spiros has been involved in all areas of our sport, from player to volunteer for over 40 years, providing everything from IT support through to sponsoring local clubs, as well as being the current Director of Liverpool Olympic Sports and Social Club.

After reaching the semi-professional level as a football player, Spiros moved to the Liverpool area and took on a role as Secretary of the local Community football Club; Liverpool Olympic.

As a successful businessman, Spiros assisted the Association with awareness around computer literacy in the early days, something he continues to assist with when called upon.

Liverpool Olympic continues to be successful in its growth of being one of Southern District’s largest clubs, with Olympic undertaking the SNAPP special needs group by giving them a home to operate out of. With Spiros at the helm, they continue towards their long-term plans to develop their facilities once financial and Council approvals are granted.

David has been involved with football for 36 years from 1988 and is still actively involved with Club and Association.

Playing across multiple teams in the early years of his career in the Tablelands region, David settled in at the Goulburn Strikers Football Club where he has played since 2002. He joined the Board of the Club in 2012 as Secretary, before taking on the President’s role in 2015. David took a brief hiatus for two years to serve as President of the Association’s joint venture club, Southern Tablelands United, before returning in 2020 as President of the Strikers.

In David’s playing years, he has represented the Association, played at a Premier League level for Goulburn in the Capital Football competition and was a part of the NSW Squad tour of New Zealand in 1996.

David won the Player of the Year award six times within the STFA, has been Club person of the Year for the Strikers on two occasions, and won Club person of the year for Southern Tablelands United twice.

To help out during a transition year for the referee branch in 2022, David sat the Level 4 Referee course and continues to help out whenever he is called upon. Off the field, David organises sponsorship for both his club and the Association through various businesses and is always offering his time and assistance.

He received the STFA’s highest honour in 2021 when he was the worthy recipient of the Outstanding Services to Football award, recognising his time and commitment to football in the Southern Tablelands region.

Laura has been actively involved in football for almost 20 years; having initially played and managed teams in the Football St George competition before joining Menai Hawks in 2011.

Initially, Laura’s focus was on the local Menai Hawks Football Club, where she was manager of her son’s team, committee person, Member Protection Officer, and coordinator of the extremely successful Mini Hawks Program, where parents have praised her patience, dedication and caring approach.

Laura held an SSFA Judiciary Committee panel member position in 2016 and has been the Association’s Member Protection & Information Officer since 2018.

Following this, Laura joined the Executive Committee of the SSFA, serving in the following roles:

To assist local clubs and sporting organisations in building stronger relationships within the Sutherland Shire Council, Laura stepped forward to successfully run as a Councillor. Since, Laura has been instrumental in advocating for positive results for football and sport in general.

In recognition of her contributions, Laura was awarded the 2022 Woman of the Year for Miranda and the 2024 Woman of the Year for Holsworthy; two prestigious state awards recognising her contribution to the community (and sport) in the Sutherland Shire across multiple state electorates.

Laura has been involved in the development of the Sutherland Association, from the perspective of player, manager, co-ordinator, and administrator, with input and a passionate involvement across all aspects of amateur football. Laura’s contributions across clubs, the Association, and with Local and State Government highlights a commitment to bettering the sport as well as the community.