They often say the pen is mightier than the sword.
When the pen is combined with a Sherrin football, the result is what drives Bendigo Thunder player Grace Campbell, the June Melbourne FC VWFL Player of the Year nominee.
Campbell’s nomination is not just a reflection of her leadership skills on the football field, but mirrors her commitment to promoting football in the Bendigo community.
When not playing football, Campbell is a first year nursing student and she is also the Bendigo Advertiser Female Football Ambassador. As part of this role, Campbell writes a monthly column where she concentrates on promoting the women’s game, with an emphasis on helping girls transition from Youth Girls to Senior football.
Bendigo Thunder Club President, Beth Taylor believes Campbell is a great advocate for women’s football in the region.
“Grace has really shown leadership in connecting the Youth Girls to Thunder in her stories.
“So when she writes, she writes about women’s football in general.
“I suppose it’s taking that role of saying to the Youth Girls, ‘You are a part of the bigger football picture in Bendigo and Thunder is a part of that’.”
This year Campbell has made the step from Youth Girls to playing in the VWFL Premier Division and Taylor stresses the ease with which she’s done this.
“She’s done it so easily. I think it’s the type of footballer she is. She plays hard footy. She goes in hard, (and is) not afraid. She’s made the transition easily.”
One of the keys to Campbell’s success is her one hundred percent commitment to the club and to the game. As Taylor says, “I think she just loves football.”
The Thunder has had a tough season, still searching for their first win. Taylor notes that they are going through a transition phase and she expects places in the side will be harder to come by next year. She sees Campbell as a hard working footballer who is always giving her all irrespective of the score line, with her on field leadership skills having been duly noted.
“She’s just so motivated. She wants to play football at the best level and she knows that she’s got to impress if she wants to stay there (in the team),” Campbell said.
“Grace is fantastic on the field. She talks really well (and) she’s truly encouraging to the other players.
“This is her first year with Thunder (and) she’s one of our youngest players. I think because of her talent and the way she engages with the other players, she’s bonded so quickly into the team.”
One of the highlights for Campbell in 2014 was being named in the VWFL Vic Country U21 team, of which she was among the best players.
Her commitment to playing football even extends to putting off an operation to have her tonsils removed so that she could play on the Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo.
The VWFL Player of the Year award is run in conjunction with the Melbourne Football Club and it seeks to highlight the positive contributions made by women to enhance the women’s game. The nominated players work tirelessly on or off the field to promote women’s football and to build long lasting connections with their communities.
Grace Campbell’s commitment to football and to the development of the women’s game is reflected in her nomination for the Melbourne FC VWFL Player of the Year award.
The overall winner will be announced at the VWFL end of year presentation evening.
By Kate Smart
Last Modified on 04/07/2014 13:08