Club Champion: Lara’s Lou one of the best

Lara’s Lou Spoors has become one of the club’s most valued volunteers through her tireless work.

By Ben Andonoudis

Every sporting club has those people who quietly hold everything together. They are always the first to help and never the ones to complain.

For Lara Football Netball Club, that person is Lou Spoors. For football secretary Leah Morrow, Spoors is the sort of person any club would want.

“She's one of your consistent people at the club and consistent in the sense that she shows up,” Morrow said.

That consistency spreads beyond just game day with Spoors a permanent fixture at the club during the week.

“She shows up to every committee meeting, even when it's raffle nights for the football section on a Friday night up at the Sporting  club,” Morrow said.

Spoors’ connection with Lara started on the field where many volunteers begin.

“Lou was in the first women's team in 2018 and then she played half of the 2019 season, then had surgery,” Morrow said.

Following the end of her playing career, Spoors moved into being a part of the club’s  committee before moving into the role she still holds today.

“In 2020, she became team manager coordinator before COVID hit and she's continued that role to now,” Morrow said.

This year has seen Spoors take on another role, canteen manager. Not always considered the most glamorous position, it is one of the most important. It requires planning and organisation which are qualities Spoors has in abundance.

“She's known for spreadsheets, she keeps every single spreadsheet you could even think of,” Morrow said.

That organisation have kept the canteen running smoothly this year under Spoors’ leadership. Organisation is one of the many qualities Spoors has brought to Lara through her involvement. Always one to help out and solve problems for people, Spoors has provided support to many over the years.

“She's just somebody that will find an answer and if she doesn't have the answer, she'll go find the answer for you,” Morrow said.

Spoors’ passion for the club and women’s football is also evident to those at Lara.

“Her passion for the club and women’s football shines through in everything she does,” Morrow said.

Spoors has been a champion of women’s football since arriving at the club. Building opportunities for women’s football can be difficult but she has embraced it wholeheartedly.

“She's been an advocate for women's footy since day dot trying to bring that equality which can sometimes be very challenging,” Morrow said.

Through her work with the female program, Spoors has always had one goal in mind. And it is a very simple one.

“All she wants to see is women playing footy and she'll do anything to get them on the field,” Morrow said.

The effort Spoors has put in has not gone unnoticed by those in the footballing community. Spoors’ work has earned the respect of people across the female footballing community.

“When you talk about senior women in the wider footballing community, Lou Spoors’ name is always the one that's brought up,” Morrow said.

And if Spoors was to ever not be involved with Lara Football Netball Club’s female football program it would be sure to be a huge loss.

“She's just always there and if she was to not be there, it would be a very big hole,” Morrow said.

Spoors may not always be the one in the spotlight but that has never been the reason she does the work. Her passion and dedication ensure that every week girls can run out onto the field and have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

That’s what makes her a female club champion.