Isabella Ragno is an integral part of one of the oldest clubs in the Mid North Coast Tuncurry Foster FC, as a player and a volunteer.
The club really is a family for Ragno, as her grandfather founded the club in 1973 and her mother is the current president, which helped to pique her interest in volunteering.
“My grandfather actually started our soccer club in 1973 and my Dad has been playing for 40 or so years,” Ragno said.
“My mum is the president of the club at the moment, I just love helping her out.
“I started helping out five or six years ago just helping out in the canteen and bagging lollies and putting out signs.
“I now make all the coffees, I am the barista at the moment and help out wherever they need me really, I sort of just jump in and help where I can. Setting up fields, packing up.
One of Ragno’s highlights as a volunteer was the opportunity to be a chaperone for her club at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
“One of my favourite opportunities as a volunteer would be getting to go the World Cup as a chaperone. That was awesome,” Ragno said.
“It was an awesome opportunity and our club was very lucky to be a part of it. I got to help look after the kids as well as see the stadium as well as going to see the game between England and Columbia.
“I guess you really can’t get those sorts of opportunities without the volunteers and hard work our club puts in. It just shows how rewarding volunteering can be.”
Ragno hoped that her experience would encourage others to get involved and become a volunteers for their local football club.
“I say definitely go for it, it is rewarding awesome to see everyone come together,” Ragno said.
“You’ll meet a lot of good people, that’s how I have met most of my friends and that’s how I’ve grown up, meeting everyone through volunteering.
“Seeing all of the kids having a good time is really rewarding and when they come up and say ‘thank you for all of your work’, it is very nice to get some appreciation for all of the work we do.”
In the future, Ragno said that she would like to continue as a volunteer and step into her mum’s shoes as president down the track.
“I sort of like what I am doing, just helping out everywhere but I think maybe down the track I can see myself stepping up and once Mum steps down,” Ragno said.
“It would be nice to keep it in the family as sort of a tradition. It would be nice to pass it on to the next generation. And if ever have kids I hope that they get to grow up with that and be a part of it.
“It’s a big part of our family.”
Register to become a volunteer at your local football club HERE.
