At every club, there’s a handful of faces you see week after week, year after year. They are always on hand to help, and nothing is ever too hard for them.
Avalon Soccer Club is lucky to have a number of these people who continue to support the community. Among them is Sharon Burton.
Sharon is currently the junior Vice-President, a WALs player, team manager and so much more.
Sharon is the lifeblood of the junior program at Careel Bay, managing a team of volunteer age coordinators and 52 teams from those newest to football at under 6, right through their development journey to the cusp of competition at under 11.
If a kid has come through Avalon in the last 5 years, they’ll know Sharon.
Under her stewardship the junior program has boomed, with nearly 120 new U6 players joining in 2021, a record for the club, but also a huge logistical challenge, that she has handled with aplomb.
Sharon’s influence has also been keenly felt in the development space, as a key driver of the recently installed Avalon Development Program, offering players the chance for additional coaching at Careel Bay.
A typical weekend will see Sharon at the club at 6am, helping to set-up the fields, before jumping onto the BBQ to kick off the morning’s feast, or helping out in the club shop.
Later in the morning, she’ll be an active sideline presence as a manager to her son’s team in the U8s, before watching her daughter play U11s on a Sunday and dusting off her own boots to run around in the WAL2s competition.
There’s no job too big or too small for “Shaz”. Be it packing kitbags, slicing bread, handling player issues, or offering advice and a friendly ear to new committee members.
President John Kowtan knows the impact she shas had saying, “Every club needs people like Sharon. I know that whenever I need a hand, or the club needs someone to step up, she’ll be there. Sharon really epitomises everything that is great about Avalon.”
A true female football champion Sharon is the dedicated person the MWFA seek to celebrate this Female Football Week. The MWFA would like to recognise the incredible work of Sharon Burton and thank her for her commitment and dedication to our footballing community.
