|
PLATINUM SPONSORS
>
|
Awards
Masters Football in WA confers four awards through out the year:
- THE TERRY MCNAMARRA TROPHY - Metro Club of the Year
- THE MIKE ADAMS TROPHY - Country Club of the Year
- THE RON WALTERS MEMORIAL TROPHY - Person of the Year
- THE THOMPSON FAMILY MEDAL - The WA Most Valuable Player at the National Carnival
THE TERRY MCNAMARRA TROPHY - Club of the Year
Few, if any of you, have any idea as to who Terry McNamara was, why the trophy is named after him or for that matter the reason why the trophy is awarded at all.
Terry McNamara was one of the original Victoria Park players in what used to be the Superules competition. In addition to playing a large number of games, Terry also represented WA at a National Carnivals, was a tireless contributor to our sport and assisted greatly in establishing our competition in its early days.
Unfortunately, Terry passed away in the 1980's and this award was named in his honour thereafter.
We play in what is a very competitive sport that pits individual against individual and team against team. Even at our level, it is very difficult to breakdown the rivalry between players and clubs, yet it is very necessary that we make every effort to keep it in check in order to maintain our credos of "Football for Kicks". Our motto stands for much more than a friendly hit out every couple of weeks as the whole aim of our sport is to encourage mate ship and camaraderie, to keep ourselves fit while at the same time encouraging and mentoring our kids into taking up sport as a way of living a healthy life and to foster an environment where we as older players we can enjoy playing the sport we love in a social and friendly atmosphere.
The trick is to be able to encourage highly competitive players to embrace that motto with a full understanding of its meaning and to put it into practice both on and off the field. Hence, the reward of the "Terry McNamara Team of the Year Trophy" each year to the team that once nominated, is seen by the Executive to have embraced the concept of our game and actively put those concepts into practice.
One of our traditions is the presentation of the "Terry McNamara Team of the Year Trophy". It is the only award given each year to a team within the metropolitan competition and as such carries a great deal of prestige. The team that receives this award each year is the one that has gone out of its way to foster an atmosphere conducive to our motto and the game in which we play.
In recent times, clubs have nominated themselves for this award however; the Executive in its deliberations will no longer accept this practice over which team will receive it. Clubs will from now on will be expected to nominate rival clubs for the award in writing to the Executive, should they wish to do so, stipulating the reasons for that nomination and why they believe that the club they have nominated is worthy of it. The Executive will then consider the merits of the nominations taking into consideration the criteria for it as stipulated earlier in this article.
THE MIKE ADAMS TROPHY - Country Club of the Year
The Country Teams in the MAF WA competition also have an annual award that is presented to the team within the country competition that has embraced the concept of our game and actively put those concepts into practice.
This award has been named to Honour one of our life members and one of the greatest contributors over the years to our game, our co-Patron, Mike Adams and as with the Terry McNamara trophy for the Metropolitan Team of the year it is awarded in order to encourage and foster better relationships between clubs and players alike.
The criteria for this award are much the same as the metropolitan area and nominations for this award should be forwarded to either Mike Adams or Larry Gleeson. It is generally presented to the winning team at the conclusion of the Country Carnival held in Perth at Hamer Park each year.
THE RON WALTERS MEMORIAL TROPHY - Person of the Year
Each year the Executive presents The Ron Walters Memorial Trophy for Person of the Year to a person within the Association who is considered to have made an outstanding personnel contribution to our game.
The criteria for the award are not longevity, the number of games played nor is it because the person nominated might be a good bloke or a mate of your club President. It is intended as a very Prestigious Award and is presented for outstanding and sustained effort on the part of the recipient in the service of our game in this state and this should be kept in mind when making nominations to the Executive for the award.
Many of you however may not be aware of the history behind this presentation.
In 1983 what was then known as Superules in Western Australia undertook to recognize those individual members that contributed to the betterment of what later became known as Masters Australian Football in Western Australia with the presentation of an Annual Award.
It was decided that nominations for the award should be accepted by the Executive from any club within the Association that wished to make one and then those nominations would be considered on merit by the Executive with an announcement being made at the Annual General Meeting as to who would be presented with the award in that year.
This award eventually became known as the Ron Walters Memorial Trophy and along with Life Membership is one of the two highest honours that can be accorded to a member of our Association in Western Australia.
Ron Walters....the man after whom this trophy was named, was a former East Fremantle League Player, then Coolbinia Amateurs player before becoming one of the original players and a member of what was then known as the Victoria Park Superules side. Sadly, Ron passed away in the mid 1980s but he left a lasting legacy with the Masters Australian Football Person of the Year Trophy being named and presented in his honour thereafter.
THE THOMPSON FAMILY MEDAL - WA Most Valuable Player at National Carnival
Brian Thompson is a stalwart of Masters Football in WA. A Life Member of both the Victoria Park Club and WA Masters, Brian has served both Club and State over many years. Each year the Executive presents The Ron Walters Memorial Trophy for Person of the Year to a person within the Association who is considered to have made an outstanding personnel contribution to our game. However, this award is named the Thompson Family Medal and reflects that the second generation of Thompson boys is involved in Masters football, emulating their fathers' footsteps.
The ward is conferred to the WA MVP at the National Carnival each year, through a process of peer nomination, with all players and officials having one vote. The player that receives the greatest share of his teams vote is declared the winner. In its third year of being awarded, it is the highest individual honour for a state representative.
Past award, winners have been Trevor Taylor of Rockingham, Greg Hooper of Albany and Glenn McKay of Northern Warriors.
|
|
