By Chris Curulli
Matthew Ludowici lives and breathes Seaforth FC.
For the last five years he has served as the club’s Competitions Secretary, but his involvement spans all the way back to when he played in the U6’s.
Matt also served as a referee for eight years and coached grassroots teams for a handful of seasons.
In 2014, he was named Seaforth’s clubman of the year and decided to take up a spot on the committee – one he has maintained ever since.
“The club has done so much for me over the years I thought I’d give back where I can,” he says.
Ludowici is currently a member of Seaforth’s Premier League Reserves squad. He jokes how limited success as a winger back in U10s has seen him play as a tough-tackling defender ever since.
Apart from one afternoon where he broke a lengthy goal drought, Matt cannot recall any standout moments over the years.
Instead he treasures the week to week grind and bond that emerges from being part of a team.
“I love the comradery and the mateship of it all,” he reflects.
“The first time I scored in 10 years was pretty good, I suppose that was about six years ago!”
Matt is proud of his former teammate Jordan Lefebvre who has recently ushered in an era of success for Seaforth as coach of their Men’s Premier League side.
“He lives and breathes Seaforth, knows what he’s talking about and is bringing some culture back to the club,” Ludowici says.
“You can see the difference on the pitch, we are more competitive these days than we used to be. It’s not about individuals anymore, it’s always about the team.”
Outside of football, Matt works as a gymnastics coach.
While he has been able to transfer some of his skills over to football coaching, he sees several key differences between the sports.
“Gym coaching is much more hands on,” he says.
“Sometimes coaching football you sit back and let the kids go – it’s not as interactive as gymnastics coaching which is all about helping kids through movements and stuff like that.”
While Ludowici’s immediate playing future is in doubt, he still foresees many more years of service to the club moving forward.
“At the moment I’m tossing up whether this is my last year (playing) or not due to work and uni studies,” he shares, “but I still think I’ll be on the committee or involved in the club in some way for many years to come.
“I don’t see myself leaving or not helping out because it’s a big passion for me to give back to the local community and see little fellas come through.”
