For his service to Manly Vale Football Club and the MWFA competitions, David Hodges has been given the MWFA Meritorious Service Award.
David Hodges has been an incredible contributor to Manly Vale over the past 20 plus years. As the son in law of former Manly Vale President, Men’s Premier League coach and player Les Cratchley, it was almost inevitable that David would be part of the Manly Vale family, alongside his wife Caroline and their children. His involvement started as many others do, by managing his children’s teams. This included when his daughters, Surrey and Lucy, played in Manly Vale’s Premier League side, with David managing the Women’s Premier League team for a number of seasons.
Given the family history with the club, it was only a matter time before David’s involvement began to grow. His time came when long-standing canteen manager Connie Greco stepped down in 2006, and Caroline took over canteen operations. David has been there ever since and can be found every weekend working in the canteen at David Thomas Reserve, on the club’s barbecue or manning the coffee machine. Being involved in the club’s canteen led to David getting heavily involved as a groundskeeper, committing time every weekend to set up fields, mark field lines and pack up at the end of each day. He can been found at David Thomas Reserve all-day on Saturdays and Sundays during the season, where he helps all comers and is always ready for a chat.
Manly Vale FC is very fortunate to have the contribution of David and his family.
