Harper Sercombe
The celebrations continue for the Footscray Lacrosse Club with stalwart Mary Mravlek notching up 300 games on Saturday.
Mravlek has been a servant of the club for over 40 years and has dedicated much of her life to the club and the sport.
Being an unusual game within Australia it took a special reason to entice her to it.
“I was 16 and liked a boy who played lacrosse for Footscray Lacrosse Club,” she said. “The 80s was my first foray into the wonderful world of lacrosse.”
Mravlek has always loved the sport, she said the club has a special sense of family and community.
“Lacrosse seems to be a sport where generations play,” she said.
“We have a lot of members who have been at the club for 10 years plus. A lot of members start playing as juniors, move into seniors, get married, continue to play, have children and their children play.”
Throughout her long span at the club, Mravlek has not only performed on the pitch but has dedicated herself to playing a variety of volunteer roles.
“I was super lucky to have played in four grand finals, winning three,” she said.
“The club has had good years and not so good years both on and off the field, we have been able to appropriately celebrate the good times and band together in the not so good to ensure that we survive as a club.
“We have many volunteers at the club with 10 years plus [experience], so we are a pretty close knit group.
“I am one of the lucky ones, I have a handful of lifetime friends as a result of being a volunteer at the club.”
Mravlek has supported the club by running the canteen for more than two decades. It’s a place which provides good food to its members and locals, something she said adds to the club’s community feel.
“I have been running the Thursday night kitchen 23 years straight. I love it,” she said.
“There is much banter and frivolous chatter that happens in the kitchen each Thursday.
“We get to see kids move into the different age groups, watch cute 8 year olds navigate their way through teenage years then onto young adults.
“There is a period from 6.15pm to about. 6.45pm where there are approximately 80 odd people eating talking, standing in the queue to get dinner, the noise is deafening, we are amongst it and it feels comfortable.”
Mravlek is only the third woman to reach the feat of 300 games played and is the 15th person to achieve it at Footscray in its 88 year history. She was named a life member of the club in 2000 and has won multiple best club person awards.
