National Volunteer Week: Robyn Irvine’s St Mary’s Story

To mark Volunteer Week, we’re spotlighting Robyn Irvine — a driving force behind the scenes at St Mary’s for over 30 years.

Robyn first got involved in 1993 when her son Matthew joined Tackers after a school coordinator recommended the club. Since then, she’s become one of the club’s most dedicated and enduring volunteers.

From the early days in the juniors to supporting the senior club when her husband Kym became the inaugural Senior Men’s coach, Robyn has always stepped in wherever needed—cleaning rooms and uniforms, selling merchandise, and preparing meals for players and families on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Even now, long after Matthew stopped playing, Robyn’s still at it—prepping food for Ladies Day this weekend while still serving up Thursday night meals with her long-time friend Liz.

For Robyn, volunteering has always been about connection. “You meet new people, many who’ve become lifelong friends. If you’re not helping out, you miss so much of what the Club is all about.”

Among her proudest memories? Watching both her daughter Rachel and daughter-in-law Hayley (who met Matthew through the Club) play in our first netball teams and win the club’s very first flags—on the same night. “It was incredible to see so many supporters there. A real community moment.”

And who could forget the club’s first ever Seniors match against Panton Hill— the culmination of years of hard work by volunteers. The scoreboard didn’t go our way, but it was a proud moment for everyone involved.

Today, Robyn’s come full circle and is now watching her grandson in Under 8s and her granddaughter in Auskick.

Robyn and her husband Kym have been honoured with life membership at both the junior and senior clubs. But for Robyn, the greatest achievement is simply seeing how far the club has come.

“Seeing the new clubrooms and everything we have today — it’s all because people volunteered. All I can say is: join in and help a little. You won’t regret it.”

Thank you, Robyn for helping shape St Mary’s.

National Volunteer Week: Tom Chapman’s St Mary’s Story

his National Volunteer Week, we recognise and celebrate one of our long time volunteers — Tom Chapman.

For over 25 years, Tom has been a constant presence and driving force behind our club.

Tom’s journey began in 2000 when his son Jayden joined the Under 11s. Not one to sit on the sidelines, Tom quickly got involved as a trainer, later stepping in as a runner. His commitment later deepened over the years, taking on the role of Secretary. Even after his son finished in the juniors, Tom remained an integral part of the club and played a key role in the redevelopment of the clubrooms, successfully securing vital funding from the State Government and the City of Banyule.

With unanimous support from the junior committee, Tom helped launch the St Mary’s Senior Club, working alongside fellow club stalwarts Livio Basile and Phil Catenazzi. Together, they assembled the inaugural Under 19s team in 2009, followed by the launch of the Seniors and Reserves in 2010. Tom also served as the first Senior Club President from 2009 to 2011 and remained on the committee until 2015.

Though he stepped back from official duties, Tom never truly left. Today, he’s a familiar face around the club on Thursday nights, at men’s games on Saturdays, and women’s matches on Sundays.  Whether it’s putting up flags and organising the trophy cabinet or any other odd jobs that need to be done, Tom is always there to help.

“Both my wife Pauline and I believe in a strong sense of community and the role that sporting clubs play in it,” Tom says. “The benefits of being involved — particularly in Aussie Rules — go far beyond the game itself.”

His outstanding service has earned him life membership at both the Junior and Senior clubs – a well-deserved honour.

One of his proudest highlights has been watching the club grow and evolve to include women’s football and netball. “It’s incredibly satisfying to see young women now proudly representing St Mary’s at senior level — it’s such an important and exciting part of our club’s future,” he shares.

And from a personal point of view, few things have meant more to Tom than seeing his own family follow in his footsteps, with his son Jayden and granddaughter Chelsea both having played junior and senior footy at the club.

When asked what keeps him coming back year after year, Tom says it’s the people that make it truly special:

“The St Mary’s Junior and Senior Clubs are truly fantastic family clubs. They play an enormous role in our community and do it as well as any football club out there. But it’s the people who make it so great — the lifelong friendships formed between players and families along the journey.”

Thank you, Tom, for everything you’ve done — and continue to do — for our club.

National Volunteer Week 2025

Today marks the start of National Volunteer Week.

This year’s theme is Connecting Communities which celebrates the power of volunteering to bring people together and build lasting friendships.

Volunteers are essential for community clubs like ours. From coaches and canteen helpers to game-day support — we simply couldn’t do it without them.

As we kick off this special week, our Club Secretary, Jessie Bickerton, shares her thoughts on volunteering.

“Our success is underpinned by the efforts of our volunteers; they’re the reason our club thrives. I’ve seen first-hand how volunteering not only strengthens our club, but creates real connection and community. It’s incredibly rewarding, and I encourage anyone thinking about it to get involved.”

If you’re thinking about giving it a go — now is the perfect time to jump in and make a difference for our club!

Harmony Round 2025

This week, our netball teams are proud to take part in the NFNL’s Harmony Round.

Harmony Round aims to recognise and celebrate the rich cultural diversity within the NFNL Netball community.

Players will be wearing orange ribbons, armbands, or socks to mark the round. In Australia, orange has been a symbol of cultural diversity and harmony since 1999. It represents social communication, meaningful conversations, mutual respect, and inclusiveness.

At our club, we believe in the power of sport to unite people. We are committed to creating a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment for all, no matter your cultural or linguistic background.

We’re 2025 Melbourne Vixens Members

Our club is once again a Melbourne Vixens Member for 2025, thanks to their grassroots membership program!

As part of this, we get access to some fantastic benefits that you can all take advantage of:

  • 10% discount on membership products: Use the code 2025MVNV
  • 10% discount on merchandise: Use the password VIXMEM25.
  • 30% Discount Group Ticket Offer: Call Ticketek on 1300 364 001, quoting password NVGROOTS25.

Plus, we’re featured on the Vixens website – a fantastic opportunity to boost our club’s visibility in the netball community.

We’re sure this membership will be put to great use with plenty of Vixens fans at our club!

Supporting the Pat Cronin Round 2025

This year we will again participate in the Pat Cronin Foundation Round.

This round is a powerful moment to honour Pat Cronin, a young man whose life was
tragically cut short by a coward punch while trying to protect a friend. Pat’s story is a stark reminder of how a single act of violence can have devastating consequences.

This week, our players will be wearing the yellow ‘Be Wise’ armbands to show our commitment to building safer communities.

Club President Mark Stanley shared the importance of this round.

“At St Mary’s, we are committed to creating a safe, positive environment—and that starts with respect for our teammates, opponents, and officials. Violence is never the answer, and each of us has a role to play in preventing it. So this week, I encourage everyone at St Mary’s stand united in support of the Be Wise campaign to End the Coward Punch.”

Get your RSA for Free

Keen to work in hospitality or just help out behind the bar at the club? Now’s your chance to get your RSA!

We’re hosting an RSA course Tuesday 29 April from 7pm, and we’re opening it up to both club members and the wider community.

It’s free for junior and senior club members, we just ask you to commit to a few bar shifts this season. Non-affiliated participants can complete the course for $100.

All participants will receive pre-course work in advance. The amount of time required on the night depends on whether this is completed beforehand:

  • 1 hour if the pre-work is completed online prior to the session
  • 2.5 hours if the pre-work is not completed before the session

Completing your RSA isn’t just a box to tick—it opens doors. It provides extra earning opportunities and boosts your employability across a wide range of industries including bars, restaurants, cafes, and event venues.

Register now

WIN A CAR!

Support St Mary’s Senior Football Club in the Good for Footy Raffle and you could win one of three brand new Toyota’s! Plus, there’s some incredible other prizes too including private coaching clinics with AFL talent and 2025 Toyota AFL Grand Final tickets, with accommodation and travel included.

Good for Footy is Toyota’s grassroots footy program. Toyota generously provides all the prizes for the raffle and local clubs like St Mary’s get all of the proceeds.⁠

⁠Tickets are just $5 and 100% of the proceeds bought through our fundraising page go to our Club.

Last year we raised $1800 while other clubs raised over $20k. Let’s strive for better this year to improve our Club.

Buy a ticket or ten and be Good for Footy!⁠

T&Cs apply.

You’re invited: 2025 Bottomless Brunch

This year, we’re bringing back the event that’s quickly become a club favourite – our Bottomless Brunch!

Join us on Saturday 24 May for a delicious lunch paired with bottomless bubbles, cocktails, wine, and beer! Plus, we’ve got plenty of non-alcoholic options, including soft drinks, mocktails, and even zero-alcohol wine – ensuring everyone can join the fun!

Our Bottomless Brunch is the perfect way to kick back, relax, and raise some money for the club.

Early bird tickets are now on sale with an exclusive 10% off ($76.50 instead of $85)! Simply use the code EARLYBIRD at checkout to save until Friday 2 May 2025.

Plus, for just $5, you can also purchase a song to add to our playlist for the day and be in the draw for a chance to win a voucher! There’s only 30 of these available – so be quick.

For more on what to expect, check out the gallery from last year’s event!

Buy a ticket