It All Started at Meercroft Park

Danelle Last. It all started at Meercroft Park.

Danelle Last: Devonport Junior Soccer Association

I have known Danelle Last for many years, and I have lost count of the times I have called her for advice.

Usually it has been around the messy, high-pressure stuff, administering big junior events like the Hobart Cup, sorting systems, schedules and solving problems before anyone else even realises they exist.

Danelle is one of those people who makes junior football work.

Not with noise.

With competence.

With care.

And with a steady hand.

Football Faces Tasmania interview -

I love stories like Danelle Last’s because they are so recognisable.

Not the “born with a football at your feet” stories.

The real ones.

The ones where football comes barging into a family’s life, almost by accident, and then never really leaves.

Danelle didn’t grow up in football.

She grew up in an oval shaped football family, which is Tasmania in a nutshell.

But once her boys stepped onto the grass at Meercroft Park, it was over.

Saturday mornings became the rhythm of their family.

And eventually, so did committee meetings, team management, state team travel and all the invisible work that holds junior football together.

Since this interview was first done, Danelle has stepped away from her formal role at Devonport Junior Soccer Association, but in the way that so many good volunteers do, she hasn’t stepped away from the people.

She continues to mentor those who have taken on the roles behind her and she is still right there in the background, supporting her family as they chase their own sporting journeys.

That says as much about her as anything in this interview.

First football memories

My first football memories came from my boys.

Growing up we were an oval shaped football family. I knew absolutely nothing about the round football.

When our children got to an age where they could participate in a team sport, our first chose football.

In 2007 our Saturday mornings at Meercroft Park started with one playing and the other three following in the years to come.

My husband was always involved with coaching one of their teams.

Who instilled my love of football?

Most definitely watching my four boys play.

How long have you been involved and what roles have you played?

My personal involvement started in 2013.

It was the first year of the new Port Sorell Primary School and I was asked to coordinate the school teams. A joint role at the time with Ian Davies.

In 2014 I was asked to attend a Devonport Junior Soccer Committee meeting.

In 2017 I stepped into the role of Secretary, knowing I had big shoes to fill with the amazing job my predecessors, Marlene Crabtree and Bonnie Phillips, had done.

As my boys reached high school, I also filled roles as team manager for Youth Strikers teams.

What was football like in Tasmania when you started, and how has it changed?

I knew nothing about football when our boys started to play.

But in the time I have been involved, I have seen lots of good progressions and a few regressions.

The development and priority of women and girls has been encouraging.

There is now, for most people, a bigger emphasis on development.

How has football affected you and your family?

When football came along and became such a big part of my life it was quite a surprise.

The people who are now lifelong friends.

The DJSA committee (former and current) that are, in my biased opinion, the best committee in the state.

Friendships made at the Strikers, other associations, the boys state teams and through Football Tasmania.

Regardless that two of our boys have eventually chosen different sports, football has been a big part of all their lives.

Playing, reffing, coaching, state teams, the year of travelling to Hobart two to three times a week.

The friendships, the mentors, the coaches, the managers.

The people that have supported, encouraged, celebrated, and commiserated.

Which Tasmanians have affected your involvement in football, on and off the field?

When I saw this question, my thoughts went to the people that have made me want more for the game, more for Devonport, and made me want to be a part of the progression.

They have become my close friends, the people that have shared so much of this football journey with me.

Richard and Jayne Bidwell.

The other person is someone who has always been there for Justin and myself as a go-to person for advice, but more importantly as a mentor and role model for my boys.

Chris McKenna.

If you could change anything in Tasmanian football, what would you do?

Playing, training, coaching, refereeing would be accessible and welcoming to everyone.

Looking back, what do you think your legacy might be?

I hope it is a while before I leave a legacy as such!

I have been fortunate that football has enriched my life personally and as a Mum.

So many highlights, proud moments, and experiences.

Those first under six games to NPL and everything in between.

Standouts being, a manager for a team DJSA took to the Kanga Cup in Canberra, watching my eldest son coach my youngest and a special recent NPL game.

But it all started for us at Meercroft Park.

I would hope that I have helped make a difference in ensuring that each and every player, coach and referee attend on a Saturday morning and at the Devonport Cup, feeling safe, supported, included, and looking forward to the fun they will have.

I cannot take credit for the success of Devonport Junior Soccer Association, but I can be proud to be part of such a great team.