03/11/2024
Merimbula Basketball Association was proud to be represented at the Basketball NSW annual awards in two categories.
The club was up against much larger clubs including metro, and walked away with not one but two awards.
Our president Matt Collins won the Senior Volunteer of the Year Award and our referee coordinator Laura Pouliot won the Emerging Leader Award in the I Am A Girl category.
They accepted their awards in Sydney on Sunday at the official ceremony attended by around 200 people at Qudos Bank Arena.
Matt Collins is president of one of the biggest sporting clubs in the Bega Valley of over 500 members. The club runs two competitions a year as well as the annual Merimbula Cup Tournament.
Matt has been on the executive committee for six years and is in his second year as president. The president is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association administration, competition management and volunteer coordination, as well as relationship management with joint users, facility owners, schools and community groups.
Matt is passionate about putting Merimbula Basketball on the map to ensure all players get every opportunity to participate, as well as pursue further development in this great sport.
At just 15 years of age, Laura has set a new standard of refereeing in Merimbula. Starting from humble beginnings in the local competition two years ago, Laura is now officiating local and regional competitions at a representative level, and being selected to officiate gold medal games at tournaments.
Her leadership qualities have emerged rapidly in the past year, confidently taking on the role of referee coordinator at the club. She mentors junior referees and provides feedback to assist their development. Laura arranges fundraisers for the club and this summer, she is also coaching a youth girls team.
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