Lara’s Lou Spoors has become one of the club’s most valued volunteers through her tireless work.

By Ben Andonoudis

Every sporting club has those people who quietly hold everything together. They are always the first to help and never the ones to complain.

For Lara Football Netball Club, that person is Lou Spoors. For football secretary Leah Morrow, Spoors is the sort of person any club would want.

“She's one of your consistent people at the club and consistent in the sense that she shows up,” Morrow said.

That consistency spreads beyond just game day with Spoors a permanent fixture at the club during the week.

“She shows up to every committee meeting, even when it's raffle nights for the football section on a Friday night up at the Sporting  club,” Morrow said.

Spoors’ connection with Lara started on the field where many volunteers begin.

“Lou was in the first women's team in 2018 and then she played half of the 2019 season, then had surgery,” Morrow said.

Following the end of her playing career, Spoors moved into being a part of the club’s  committee before moving into the role she still holds today.

“In 2020, she became team manager coordinator before COVID hit and she's continued that role to now,” Morrow said.

This year has seen Spoors take on another role, canteen manager. Not always considered the most glamorous position, it is one of the most important. It requires planning and organisation which are qualities Spoors has in abundance.

“She's known for spreadsheets, she keeps every single spreadsheet you could even think of,” Morrow said.

That organisation have kept the canteen running smoothly this year under Spoors’ leadership. Organisation is one of the many qualities Spoors has brought to Lara through her involvement. Always one to help out and solve problems for people, Spoors has provided support to many over the years.

“She's just somebody that will find an answer and if she doesn't have the answer, she'll go find the answer for you,” Morrow said.

Spoors’ passion for the club and women’s football is also evident to those at Lara.

“Her passion for the club and women’s football shines through in everything she does,” Morrow said.

Spoors has been a champion of women’s football since arriving at the club. Building opportunities for women’s football can be difficult but she has embraced it wholeheartedly.

“She's been an advocate for women's footy since day dot trying to bring that equality which can sometimes be very challenging,” Morrow said.

Through her work with the female program, Spoors has always had one goal in mind. And it is a very simple one.

“All she wants to see is women playing footy and she'll do anything to get them on the field,” Morrow said.

The effort Spoors has put in has not gone unnoticed by those in the footballing community. Spoors’ work has earned the respect of people across the female footballing community.

“When you talk about senior women in the wider footballing community, Lou Spoors’ name is always the one that's brought up,” Morrow said.

And if Spoors was to ever not be involved with Lara Football Netball Club’s female football program it would be sure to be a huge loss.

“She's just always there and if she was to not be there, it would be a very big hole,” Morrow said.

Spoors may not always be the one in the spotlight but that has never been the reason she does the work. Her passion and dedication ensure that every week girls can run out onto the field and have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

That’s what makes her a female club champion.

Lifeline Supersaint Grace Waterson has been integral to the club in many different ways.

By Ben Andonoudis

Every sporting club has people who become part of the fabric. They are the people who make the club what it is. Every week they work as hard as they possibly can so the players and supporters can enjoy their Saturdays. At St Albans Football Netball Club, Grace Waterson has been doing exactly that for two decades.

Across her tenure, Waterson has been a player, a coach, player wellbeing officer and child safeguarding officer amongst other positions. All these different responsibilities have led to her impact at the Supersaints extending far beyond the court.

“Grace has dedicated countless hours to coaching junior and senior players, mentoring umpires, and fostering a culture of resilience, wellbeing and inclusion,” Wilson said.

Waterson’s contribution to the culture of the Supersaints is perhaps her best achievement. Building a strong culture at any local sporting club is essential to ensuring that it is a place where people want to be. And at St Albans Waterson is one of those individuals who has been integral to the values that the club lives by.

“Grace Waterson is the embodiment of commitment, leadership and community spirit at the St Albans Football Netball Club,” Wilson said.

Like many great volunteers, Waterson’s connection to the Supersaints started as a player but it quickly became something bigger. From her days on the court as an Under 11’s player Waterson has remained a constant presence around the Supersaints.

As Co-President Virginia Wilson explains, once Waterson hit the court for that first game, she never left.

“Grace has remained a proud One Club Member, playing more than 250 senior games, some at the highest level in A Grade netball,” Wilson said.

In her time at the Supersaints, Waterson has fulfilled multiple roles.

“She wears a lot of different hats, and she does a lot of the things that people don’t see,” Wilson said.

While people can have a multitude of reasons for volunteering at a local sporting club, the motivation for Waterson is simple.

“She’s very passionate about the club and just wants the club to be successful,” Wilson said.

Even after becoming a mother earlier this year, the connection to the Supersaints has remained as strong as ever for Waterson. After having a child in May it wasn’t long before Waterson was back around the Supersaints, keeping up the contribution she has made for two decades.

“She’s continued to do everything she does for the club,” Wilson said.

It is a sign of her dedication to the club and one that showcases how vital she is to the Supersaints. Waterson’s dedication has been exemplified in her title of the club’s Child Safeguarding Officer. It is a role that allows her to draw on her own professional and personal experience in education support and foster care. And it is one that she does well.

“Grace brings compassion, care and advocacy to the role,” Wilson said.

Over two decades, Waterson has given countless time and energy to the Supersaints. It is a contribution that cannot be measured by games played or roles held, but by the culture she has helped to develop.

And that is what makes her a Female Club Champion.

Our big Female Festival of Sport week concludes with plenty of action on the courts and football fields across the region. Check out all the details by clicking on the grade you want below:

AFL BARWON JUNIOR NETBALL EXHIBITION

- Tickets (includes VNL championship match)

SENIOR NETBALL

- GFNL and BFNL

- CDFNL

JUNIOR NETBALL

- All grades

- CDFNL Juniors

EPWORTH SENIOR FEMALE FOOTBALL

- Div 1 & 2

JUNIOR FOOTBALL

- All divisions

- CDFNL Juniors

ALL-ABILITIES

- Contact

- Non-contact

The Barwon Region’s talent pool has again been recognised by Netball Victoria.

Netball Victoria has released its trial lists for the 2027 Talent Academy and the 17/U & 19/U State Sides.

All up, 17 athletes from the Barwon Region were identified and invited to trial for their respective opportunities in a sign of the strength of junior netball in the local area. Athletes have been identified based on their performances at State Titles held in March, or the Central West Zone Association Championships held in May & June.

The following athletes have been identified and invited to trial for the 2027 Talent Academy:

From the 2026 Barwon Region State Titles squad:

• Milla Eldredge (Bell Park)
• Lila Morris (Western Eagles)
• Harriett O'Dwyer (Torquay)

From the Central West Zone Association Championship tournament:

• Stevie Hepburn (South Barwon)
• Olivia McCormack (Newtown & Chilwell)
• Wren Rahilly (Torquay)
• Georgia Roberts (Colac)
• Addison Rocka (South Colac)
• Grace Tolley (Queenscliff)
• Lilieta Tuvakasuka (Apollo Bay)
• Freya Uytdehaag (Colac)

The following athletes have been identified and invited to trial for the 2027 17U State team from Central West Association Championships:

• Ruby Cook (Bell Park)
• Emilia Evans (Portarlington)
• Remy Sliwa (Torquay)
• Tamika Wall (Portarlington)

The following athletes have been identified and invited to trial for the 2027 19U State team from the Barwon Region State Titles team:

• Evie Mckenzie (Geelong West)
• Estelle Stephens (Geelong West)

The Talent Academy Trials for the Central West Region area take place on Sunday 22 November at Eagle Stadium, Werribee.

The 2027 Netball Victoria State Titles will take place in Bendigo on March 6th-8th 2027.