By Adrian Ceddia
MICK Barber knows what it is like to start something special.
This true unsung hero was a major reason behind the push to start Werribee Centrals as a junior entity in the Western Region Football League in 2003.
He originally headed up the Werribee based St Andrews Auskick, formed almost a decade ago, before approaching the Centrals senior club with an idea to form a junior division.
It was originally dismissed as it was realised neither parties was ready for the move, but three years ago Barber return with the same offer, and this time the seniors shared his enthusiasm.
With many of the outgrown Auskick participants on board, Werribee Centrals entered the debut 2003 season with two teams, a number which has expanded to five this year under Barber’s presidency.
Almost all age groups are being covered, from under 10s to under 16s, and there is plenty of room to grow.
“It was three or four weeks before the first season started and we already had two full sides,” Barber said.
“We capped it at that so we could understand what we were doing first before we got too big.”
Centrals has grown to accommodate more than 130 young players, all the while encouraging fair play and the importance of teamwork.
“We’re not really serious about winning and all that sort of stuff,” Barber said.
“We just get the enjoyment out of watching the kids run around and have a kick.
“We just want to let the boys and girls have as much game time and as much fun as they can.”
Barber has been forced to scale back his commitments slightly this season due to work, and was thankful for the hard work of his support staff.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. We’ve had great support from parents, both on game day and at training,” he said.
“The league has also been helpful, especially in the first year when we were setting up.”
Barber is expecting to step aside at the end of the year, content with what he has helped to build and confident it can move forward into the future.
Mick Barber is the fifth weekly winner of the Unsung Heroes competition for the 2006 Western Region Football League (WRFL) season.
To nominate an unsung hero from your club, email WRFL club development officer Liz Mulconry at l.mulconry@wrfl.asn.au.
The email should detail the name and contact details of the nominated person, their role within the club, their length of service and the reasons they would be a worthy Unsung Hero nominee.
Weekly nominees receive a $250 voucher from Harvey Norman and go into the running for a major prize at the end of the season.
