Club Honours
Club Honours
Lindfield FC is privileged to have such wonderful members who give their time to make it all happen. Where possible, we love to tell their stories and thank them, but it is only the exceptional shining stars who make it to this Annual Club Honour Awards page, so please make sure you take the time to acknowledge the people who make your football possible!
Victor Vitorovic Volunteer of the Year Award
Volunteers are the lifeblood of LFC. We could not operate without the many people who selflessly give so much of their valuable time and energy to making our Club the best it can be and ensuring our footballers are out on the pitch every week.
Most of you know Victor, our Lindfield Sports Centre Manager, what you might not know is that he is one of our valued Life Members, has been involved at Lindfield FC for well over 20 years and has covered every role possible - sizzling many sausages along the way! Victor started as a manager of his son's team and eventually went on to lead our club as Coaching Director. He was also a founder of the Lindfield Sports Centre, initially volunteering his time as manager.
So we have named this Volunteer award in honour of his exemplary service to LFC.
2023 Winner: Jonathan Mah-Chut
We are delighted to award our first Volunteer of the Year award to Jonathan.
People sometimes use “I’m just a volunteer’ to justify not doing the role people hold. This cannot be said of Jonathan. He is a dedicated Age Coordinator of many seasons, this year for the U15 group. He attended a remarkable number of matches to check on how things are going for each team. This season, he has regularly stepped up as Manager for U15SL when the manager was away for an extended period and for Kanga Cup.
Jonathan promptly follows up on every question or request, whether admin-related or finding sub-players. He is an invaluable committee member, willingly assisting those with less experience.
Jonathan is to be highly commended as he fulfils all aspects of his role to a very high standard without complaint and will always go over and above (esp when taking care of our beloved Charles Bean Oval) as he has done for many years now!
Thank you Jonathan!
WINNERS
2023 Jonathan Mah-Chut
The Gilbert Merlo Chalice
The Gilbert Merlo Chalice is awarded to honour the memory of our past President who championed ladies football at LFC and the NSFA. The Chalice is awarded annually to celebrate outstanding achievement in girls/ladies football. This could be an individual female player or a female team. ‘Outstanding achievement’ is not necessarily about winning, but rather about commitment and passion for women’s football at Lindfield.
Clive Solari, who stepped in as president upon Gil’s passing recalls, “The idea of the Chalice first came to me when I was in the church for Gil’s funeral. Much of Gil’s eulogy was about his amazing achievements for LFC and I remember thinking that the club must celebrate this great guy. So I set myself the challenge of designing the Chalice. A rewarding yet emotional process.”
Each year we email all our members and ask them for nominations for a player or team.
WINNERS
2023 Tace Dawson
2022 Jann LaForest
2021 Season Cancelled due to Covid
2020 G18A Diamond League Team
2019 Gabriela Tonazzi-Field
2018 G12 Kerr Team
2017 W35D Matriarchs Team
2016 Sarah Jenkins
2015 Lianne Merlo
It was fitting that for the first year Gil’s daughter Lianne was awarded the Chalice for her dedication to coaching, playing and her volunteer role at LFC despite the ordeal of losing her father.
2023 Winner: Tace Dawson
Tace has made a wonderful contribution to Female Football at LFC this year. In the unforgettable year of the Women’s World Cup hosted in Australia, she was the driving force behind the packed Clubhouse events, as well as organising events for the visiting international girls teams. She attended the NZ Tour with her daughter and arranged banners for our Kanga Cup teams.
Tace approached all these jobs with enthusiasm, positivity and a smile, no job was too much trouble for her. She has a great ability to create joy around girls and women’s football at our club and is a wonderful role model for all our girls.
Thank you Tace!
Danny Hurwitz Coach of the Year Award
Coaches are integral to the success of every team, whether they are volunteers or paid LFC Coaches. When someone has made a huge difference to their team or an individual player’s game, we like to highlight their dedication and hard work.
This new Coach of the Year Award award is named after Danny Hurwitz who had the amazing foresight and drive to look at things differently and implemented the basis of our very successful coaching model today. You can read more about Danny’s innovative approach and LFC history in the Local Legends writeup.
2023 Winner: Emmanuel Rosas
Having achieved outstanding success with his team this year and demonstrating exceptional leadership, sometimes in extremely challenging circumstances, we are delighted to award our first Coach of the Year award to Emmanuel.
We received many outstanding nominations for this category, not only for LFC coaches but some amazing parent coaches who made massive contributions to their teams. However, Emmanuel was definitely a standout, with numerous nominations highlighting not only his tactical coaching ability but also his supportive, positive attitude. As one nominator put it “This contributes to a broader club culture, encouraging players and their parents to look at Lindfield FC involvement from a community club perspective, not just a team-specific perspective”.
Massive congratulations Emmanuel!
WINNERS
2023 Emmanuel Rosas
Coaching Director Award
This award for young emerging coach of the year is selected by our Coaching Director with nominations made by the coaching team. It recognises that our coaching program is built on bringing talent through from our existing members, mostly young and upcoming players.
Congratulations Jazzy Wells
Congratulations to Jasmine for winning the Emerging Coach of the Year Award. Jasmine has done a fantastic job with the GU09s this year and has helped take them to the top division. She has been a joy to work with and an excellent communicator, welcoming input from both parents and players.
She's impressively organized, reliable, and her positive attitude is always there, rain or shine.
What's really special is how she's empowered the girls to be self-reliant and versatile on the field. These players can comfortably play any position and have become skilled in all the fundamentals. Not only that, she's been a fundamental part of managing both the GU09 and GU08 sessions and has been key in helping two junior coaches get their footing.
So thank you Jasmine, we’re so grateful for the way you’re shaping this club for the better.
Congratulations Griffin Hourigan
Griffin has been a fantastic member of the Coaching Team this year. Initially enrolled as a Superskills coach, Griffin’s ability to control large groups of difficult children was unbelievable. He was able to bring happiness and enjoyment to the players he was coaching week in, week out. (Often looking like he was having just as much fun).
Griffin also provided significant support for the club in the development team space, he was able to step in and fill any voids. Even with his busy year 11 schedule and own Super League commitments, he stood up and was flexible in covering many trainings over the season to a very high standard. Griffin shows great initiative and leadership qualities and is constantly able to make tough scenarios look much easier than they are. His passion during the season has never faded even during the tough moments and in the process, he developed great experience and has grown into a fantastic coach.
Griffin’s kind nature and constant care grant him to be a top individual who is liked by his peers and one we hope to see further develop into a senior coach.
Club Spirit Award
There are many stories that normally go unheard by the wider club. The Club Spirit Awards aim to recognise our quiet achievers, the amazing people who make a difference and exhibit the essence of Lindfield FC. Their contribution may be ongoing or it may be one amazing story.
This year there were two particular stories that made us proud to be part of the LFC community.
Lindfield Legend Mal Smith received 8 of the 16 nominations this year!
There was a very consistent theme in regard to Mal’s dedication to his Lindfield M45/2 team this year and the following sums up the sentiment…..
I am writing to wholeheartedly nominate Mal for the "Club Spirit Award," a recognition that I believe he truly deserves. Mal's unwavering dedication to our team has been nothing short of exceptional, and his actions are a true embodiment of the spirit and essence of our club. Despite facing a serious injury at the beginning of the season, Mal's commitment remained steadfast. For over half the season, he managed the team from his hospital bed, and when he could, he continued to do so on crutches for the remainder of the season. His devotion to our team has shone brilliantly throughout this challenging period. Mal consistently exceeded expectations, diligently submitting match cards, meticulously keeping track of scores, and even making himself available for late-night FaceTime calls. These efforts highlight his exceptional dedication to the team's success. One particular instance truly stands out: Mal's determination to contribute remained unshaken even during his recovery in the hospital. He demonstrated his commitment by attending games on crutches immediately after leaving the hospital, showcasing a level of dedication that knows no bounds. Mal's passion for the game extends beyond the field as well. His use of a mini-whiteboard to sketch out strategies and tactics is a testament to his dedication and creative approach to the game. It is undeniable that Mal's relentless commitment and willingness to go above and beyond have had a profound impact on our team's morale and success. He truly embodies the core values that our club holds dear. Without a doubt, Mal is a deserving candidate for the "Club Spirit Award." I sincerely appreciate your consideration of Mal for this well-deserved recognition. His contributions have not only enriched our team but have also set a remarkable example for all of us to follow.
Thank you, Kate Boardman
Kate has shown outstanding commitment and dedication to LFC for many years and I think deserves a Club Spirit award as her time on the committee comes to an end. She has supported her children’s teams as Manager, but most importantly, she has helped guide the female focus and strategy at LFC for many, many years as an Age Coordinator and as a Age Director. She has assisted many other ACs and her foresight and contribution has helped make LFC a leading club in the female space. Additionally she has contributed to LFC's health and safety best practice and contributed enormously to our understanding of how girls should train through her professional knowledge.
NSFA Pathways Award 2023
Congratulations to US!
Winners of the 2023 NSFA Pathways Award!
There are too many people to thank for their contribution to this Award! It is a tribute to the 20 years of hard work, dedication and persistence that have been poured into our Development Program by many fabulous people - THANK YOU ALL for making Lindfield a place of possibilities to perform at your very best.
It is always such a thrill to hear of the success of LFC players who take up the opportunities presented at our club and then go on to succeed at higher levels. It is even more rewarding when many of those return to contribute to the next generation.
Pictured: Lindfield FC President Sarah Valentine receiving Pathways Award from Matt Cross MP, Member for Davidson
