Each week our special NRL ambassadors will rotate writing duties to bring you up to date with the latest off-field Rugby League news from around the country, including the far-reaching beneficial impacts of dedicated One Community programs. This week Nathan Hindmarsh delivers a reminder about the upcoming Women in League Round.
The Women in League Round is
not far away – which means break out the pink jerseys, tell your mum how great
she is, grab a family pass for the footy and go out and support your team!
Next week marks the seventh annual Harvey Norman Women
in League Round, held during Round 10 (May 17-20). The initiative pays tribute to more than 60,000 female
volunteers, officials, players, employees and administrators at the heart of
the game.
The Round is our way of saying thank you to these women for the enormous contribution they make to Rugby League. From women volunteering in the canteen, to Development Officers coaching our Grassroots, all the way up to Catherine Harris AO PSM, NRL Commissioner, these women play a massive role in keeping Rugby League the Greatest Game of All.
My mum played a massive role in my career. Not only did she drive me from Robertson to Parramatta three times a week for SG Ball training, she was also the one who told me to keep on trying when I thought it was all too hard.
Mothers will always play a huge part in their child’s career and in my case so too has my wife, Bonnie. She has supported me throughout the majority of my career as well as working on her own career within the game. She started in the beginning as a Development Officer and since then has had a vast array of roles within the Parramatta club including: Media Manager, Events and Game-Day Manager and Operations Manager. Along with this she manages our home life and our three young boys.
I have also been lucky enough to win the Harvey Norman Favourite Son award, in 2010. This award recognises players who embody the values and qualities of a role model for families and junior players. Again, this is a quality I received from my parents – in particular my mum. Any one of the nominees this year is worthy of winning the award (although my vote goes to a good friend of mine, Danny Buderus).
To vote for this year’s Harvey Norman Favourite Son nominees go to: nrl.com/favouriteson
I think it is safe to say if you did a survey and asked every NRL player who had the greatest influence on their career, more than half would say it was their mother.
So to all you footy players out there, when your mum kicks you out of bed this Saturday morning, or drives you to your game, say thanks and let her know how much it’s appreciated!
