Club Champion: Two Clubs, One Remarkable Volunteer

Belinda Harvey’s commitment to two local sporting clubs make her a Female Club Champion.

By Ben Andonoudis

Behind every junior game is a group of volunteers working tirelessly to make it happen. They are the reason that players can simply turn up and play every weekend.

Belinda Harvey is one of those people.

Devoting your time to one community club can be time-consuming, but unlike most volunteers Harvey stretches her time across two community clubs. As both President of the juniors-only club Peninsula Sharks and Leopold FNC’s Junior Netball director, Harvey plays a leading role in junior sport across the Bellarine.

Few people could successfully devote equal time to two volunteer leadership roles. But the commitment of  Harvey across her involvement across both clubs has never been an issue for Leopold Football Netball Co-President Lachlan Cartledge. For him, it speaks to her love of female junior sport and allowing others to have more opportunities than ever before.

“It is a lot, but it just highlights how passionate she is about giving opportunities to young women,” Cartledge said.

The impact made by Harvey at Leopold FNC was almost immediate.

“She made an impact from her introduction,” Cartledge said.

And the results have spoken for themselves. Since Harvey joined Leopold the netball program has grown and now features five more junior teams. It is a reflection of what can be possible when a person with passion for junior female sport is a part of a club.

“Our junior netball program has never been so healthy, and it just comes off the back of Belinda's involvement,” Cartledge said.

The reasons for the growth following Harvey’s emergence at Leopold are varied but one key reason is the genuine attentiveness and dedication she has. It is something that impressed the locals at Leopold FNC.

“People are just drawn to her work ethic and her personality that she does want to make the club a better place,” Cartledge said.

It is that skillset and personality that makes Harvey such a valued member of the Leopold Football Netball Club as well as the Peninsula Sharks.

Leopold and the Peninsula Sharks have both benefited from the involvement of Harvey and has led to increased ties between the two clubs.

“Belinda’s involvement continues to strengthen the relationship between us and the Peninsula Sharks,” Cartledge said.

Her influence has become so significant that Cartledge struggles to imagine what Leopold FNC would like without her there.

“If we didn't have her this year, we would not be in the position we are in now,” Cartledge said.

Every weekend, hundreds of youngsters simply turn up and play, rarely seeing the countless hours of work that make it possible.

As one of the Bellarine Peninsula’s most dedicated champions of junior female sport, Belinda Harvey has fostered growth that many clubs would be proud to see. She is one of the main reasons that more young females can take to the field or to the court every weekend and live out their dreams.

And that is that unwavering commitment to junior female sport that makes her a Female Club Champion.