The night was a great opportunity to congratulate both players and volunteers for the season that was, thank the club’s sponsors, and recognise the achievements within the club.

“The night was a great celebration of the achievements during the year,” Club Publicity Officer Tamara Burns said.

“It was also an opportunity to thank our sponsors, in particular our major sponsor the Laurieton United Services Club, who have been a huge support for us over the years. They also put on a fantastic night, and we couldn’t be more grateful or appreciative of their contribution to our club.”

Amongst the award winners on the field was Scott Witchard, who received the ‘Bags of Potential’ award, for his outstanding effort during the year, and as the name suggests, the potential for even more impressive football in the years to come.

Club Player of the Year was awarded to joint recipients Jason Balaam and Hannah Morson. Jason was chosen for the incredible effort he has shown to get back on the pitch, after a horrendous season ending leg injury a number of years ago.

Not only overcoming this hurdle, Balaam was one of the most committed and passionate players on the field this year, and a role model to all of those around him.

Similarly, Hannah was chosen as a result of the talent, determination and positivity she showed on the field, despite the fact that she received a season ending injury just before finals.

Morson is also an up-and-coming referee within Football Mid North Coast, and her commitment to developing and being a positive representative for match officials was also recognised within the award.

Morson becomes only the second female to ever receive the award, with both recipients extremely worthy of the recognition.

Leanne Eames was awarded the highly prestigious Club Person of the Year award, recognising the phenomenal effort she puts in, week in, week out, year in, year out. 

The presentation caps off the official season for 2017, with the club’s annual meeting coming up in the next week. As always, new volunteers are encouraged to come along.

“Our volunteers work incredibly hard during the year, but there is always something that people can contribute,” Burns said.

“Maybe you can offer a couple of hours a year to assist with Ground Control, or maybe you’d like to volunteer more of your time.

“No matter how big or small you think your contribution might be, we’d love to see you and have you help us grow our club for the years to come.”