A strong commitment to the Narwan Rugby League and Sporting Club motto “Family-Community-Football” has seen Candita Collins named the 2023 Indigenous Volunteer of the Year as part of the state’s prestigious annual Community Rugby League Awards.
Collins was one of 17 winners announced last week for the awards which acknowledge the invaluable contribution made by more than 28,000 volunteers across the state in a variety of roles including administrators, coaches, referees and officials.
“It is very humbling,” Collins told nswrl.com.au
“I don’t consider this a club, I see Narwan as my family.”
Collins has worked hard over a number of years to repair the club’s relationship with the community, playing an instrumental role in helping the club turn their fortunes around in recent years – including their A-Grade team winning the Group 19 Grand Final in 2022.
She has had a strong focus on fixing the communication between the club and the community to create an approachable and transparent relationship, as well as creating a strong culture within the club, helping players at the club both on and off the field.
“We have a lot of outreach services that we offer to our players,” Collins said.
“We want to make sure we are supporting our players in more ways than only through Rugby League.
“We assist with education, housing, and employment.
“We always want to ensure our players are supported and that if we are here to help them get through the tough times.”
In 2023, Narwan Rugby League and Sporting Club have hit record numbers in participation which has seen the club field an U18s side in in the Group 19 competition for the first time in the club’s history.
While Collins was a leading figure in recruiting players, she believes that this is the opportunity to help teach the younger generations the importance of community.
“We don’t only introduce them to football, we introduce them into our family,” she said.
“It’s important that on a community level it’s not just about Rugby League, that it is about embracing our wider community.
“We make sure we do our part to not only grow the game but make those involved in our club better citizens.”
Collins has worked hard to push the importance of the club’s motto “Family-Community-Football” by inspiring the players to create their own legacies at the club like those who played before them.
“Our community has been involved since the 1970s,” she said.
“It is a generational thing; we all have family members who have been involved previously.
“We are now handing what we know down to our younger generations to carry on.”
The annual NSWRL Community Rugby League Awards recognise the invaluable contribution made by more than 28,000 people who give up their time as volunteers, officials, coaches, and referees to ensure NSWRL can run Community Football at more than 700 clubs across the state.
The awards also acknowledge the support given in the wider community as well as to the Rugby League Community.
The Community Rugby League Award winners have been invited to attend the Brad Fittler Medal on 4 September where the major award for the NSWRL Gordon Lowrie Volunteer of the Year, proudly supported by Ignite HQ, will be presented.
