Great Lakes resident, Sabino Ragno was honoured at the recent Football Mid North Coast zone awards presentation for his long-term commitment to the Tuncurry Forster Football Club (TFFC).
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Sabino was recognised on the night for his amazing contribution of 40 years playing with the club.
“It’s a great milestone in the club’s history,” Sabino’s mother, Anna explained.
“Sabino’s father was a founding member of the club, our family has always been very involved.”
Sabino started out at TFFC in the kindergarten group, put together for the younger siblings of players in the age group teams.
“They would put two chairs next to each other and use them as goals,” Anna continued.
“Sabino was very good at kicking goals, they used to put the chairs in closer and closer together to stop him scoring and he would still get them in.”
Before long, Sabino was moved up to train with the under 7s team, which his father was coaching at the time.
“That was in 1978, he still has his very first trophy from kindergarten,” Anna said.
From his young beginnings, Sabino continued to develop his skills and passion for the sport and was selected for State and Country NSW teams in the following years as the goalkeeper.
“On a tour of Victoria in the rep team he was asked to be contracted into a team in Victoria,” Anna continued.
“But his father was a fisherman up here, and we couldn’t relocate.”
And so, Sabino’s years with the TFFC continued to accrue.
“These days he plays in the over 35 team, he also coaches a lot of the younger teams,” Anna added.
“His twin sons are both playing now, so it his daughter.
“The club is a big part of life for all of our family, we are very passionate about it.”
