VAFA WOMEN’S ROUND

The following group of ladies are all treasured by their clubs, when you read a little about each one you start to understand why. We hoe you all enjoy women’s round.
Pat Gray and Caitlin Jacques (Monash Blues)Pat has provided tireless support for Monash Blues for a decade and never misses a game despite travelling from Frankston. Pat cooks much of the food for Blues functions, whether it is cakes for afternoon tea or salads for the barbeques and her pre-season spreads are a key recruiting mechanism for the Blues. 
Caitlin is a devoted supporter of the Monash Blues and has established the first Monash Blues Ladies Committee designed to get more women involved in the Club. 
The success of the Ladies Committee has been instant with a rapid increase in the girlfriends, wives, partners and female friends attending games. As wife of the President, she does a good job keeping him in check on gameday but also tolerates the very long hours away he spends away during the season. Her hosting/catering at Blues Club Board Meetings is amazing – apparently there were three courses last meeting!! 
Mary Pearson (Whitefriars) is so dedicated to the mighty Friars she delayed her holiday with 20 year old Daughter Michaela to the US to plan around the Queens Birthday Break. Mary, husband John, Michaela and Luke support Adam aka A.P. who recently celebrated 100 games. 
Mary sources raffle prizes, sells tickets, and enjoys the social side of belonging to our footy club. Mary is pictured at our recent ball with Lina Massarotti. 
At the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Beaumaris Football Club held at the Crown Casino last year, the club paid tribute to the magnificent contribution women have made. Vanessa Murton was one of those women mentioned. 
Vanessa has been the Beaumaris Football Club Secretary for the last 5 years, a member of the club’s social sub-committee and is team manager of the Reserves. 
Vanessa has had a long association with football having been Secretary and President of the Cheltenham Panthers (SMJFL) for a total of 10 years resulting in her being awarded club life membership in 2008. Vanessa was also on the Executive of the Moorabbin Saints JFL for a number of years. 
As her sons (Jack and Will) graduated from junior football to the VAFA she joined the committee of Beaumaris, immediately taking on the role of club secretary. Along with her best mate Sonia McNally (Senior Team Manager), they ensure the players are looked after before, during and after the game. The club is truly blessed in having both Vanessa and Sonia getting the club to where it is now both on and off the field. 
Bella Punteri and Tricia Op de Coul (SKOB) are just two women who make an important contribution to the SKOB community each week, working quietly and tirelessly as water carriers and helpers on match days. Bella Punteri works every Saturday at both reserve and senior games as a water carrier from the beginning of pre-season and throughout the football season and will also be down at the SKOB training helping out. 
Bella said, “I enjoy being around everyone an helping out. I love watching the games”. 
Tricia Op de Coul works as a water carrier in the Reserves Games and often offers to work wherever there is a need for the seniors on match day. Nothing is too much trouble for them, they are always supportive of the players and are an asset to SKOB. 
Tricia said, “Being part of the support team and helping our boys go into battle each week is awesome, the boys are always so grateful. Contributing gives you a great feeling of satisfaction and being a trained first aider gives me confidence I can assist in a crisis.”
Lauren Harvey (St Francis Xavier) is the secretary and head trainer all in one. Lauren has been with SFX since their second season in the VAFA in 2008. 
In that time she has been on the board, fulfilling nearly all the off field roles as well as being our head trainer. She is the first to all our games helping out in any way possible. Her role as head trainer means that she is also at training every Tuesday and Thursday night meaning the club is like a second home for her. 
Anna Hall (Richmond Central) is the Club’s Vice President. She was elected to the position in 2012 after a valuable and successful first year on the committee. Anna was instrumental in setting up the netball division of the club. Starting out with one netball team in 2011, we now field 6 women’s sides and one mixed team, and have won a netball grand final every season since inception. 
Along with her hardworking sister Penny, Cassie Nicholls and Jess Larritt, Anna has done a power of work giving young women the chance to play community sport in Richmond. 
The netballers also play an incredible role in the overall club as they strive to become an integrated community sporting organisation offering opportunities for everyone to enjoy themselves in both sporting and social spheres. 
The Old Scotch Football Club would like to acknowledge the contribution that the women make to our great Club in leadership roles.
In particular our Vice President Alex “Tootie” Wilkinson as Manager of our Social and Club Engagement and Annabel Long as our Membership Manager. 
Both have brought a breath of fresh air to their roles and challenged many of the traditional “blokes” way of doing things. These professionals are supported by a team of Mum’s and parteners who make things happen. OSFC is a much better Club for their great ongoing contributions.
After an outstanding term as club secretary, Doriana Cooper stepped down from this demanding role and with St Bernard’s planning big 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013, a talented and hard working secretary was required. The club was delighted when Michelle Denahy volunteered. 
Michelle is junior mother and wife of Colts Academy Director Shane Denahy. Amongst many other activities in 2013, the club published 1,000 copies of a 360 page book “Forever Strong” and held it’s “50th Anniversary Celebration Ball” at Docklands. 
Working alongside Angela McGuire the “St Bernard’s best club person of 2012”, they formed a “St Bernard’s Ladies Committee & Network”. More than 220 people attended St Bernard’s Mothers Day lunch organised by the Ladies Committee. The success of the lunch is a great platform to engage the women of St Bernard’s with the Club.