Vern Ryan went to St Albans Football Club as a 17-year-old in 1968.
A year later, he played in the Saints’ two-point premiership win against arch-rival Albion.
From that moment on, he was a St Albans person through and through.
When his playing career finished, Ryan coached juniors at the club for more than a decade. He’s also served as president of its junior and senior branches.
For his outstanding career and commitment to local sport, he was named official of the year at the Community Clubs of Victoria’s annual awards last month.
“I got a lot of satisfaction from the award,” Ryan said.
“I didn’t know it was coming. I was away on a football trip and when I got back it had already been announced.
“Now that I’ve sat down and thought about it, it’s extremely satisfying.
“A lot of hard work has gone into it. There are thousands of people out there who volunteer and this gives you a bit of a pat on the back.”
As a junior coach at St Albans through the 1980s and ’90s, Ryan was part of astonishing success . . . in his 11 years calling the shots, his sides played in 10 grand finals.
Ryan was also in charge of some outstanding talent which eventually progressed to Footscray in the VFL/AFL.
“One of the most gifted would be Mark Cullen,” Ryan said.
“On the other hand, I think Steve Kretiuk was a workhorse. He ran and ran and ran – just worked really hard to get where he did. Those guys really stand out.”
Cullen went on to play 35 games for the Bulldogs, while Kretiuk racked up 170.
Ryan identifies Jason Watts and Steven Kolyniuk as among the best players he saw at the Saints.
Ryan was St Albans president for five years until the end of the 2014 season and has helped the club become an off-field success as well.
The Saints are free of debt and one of the most stable clubs in the Western Region Football League.
Ryan believes the key is not getting carried away with the rising player payments.
“We have to stay within a budget and we’re determined to do that.
“We’ve lost a couple of people this year who have gone for more money elsewhere, and that’s fine. We were never going to pay them more, especially some who are getting almost double.”
Ryan’s award wasn’t the only one received by St Albans at the Community Clubs of Victoria Annual Awards.
The club was also named ‘best entertainment sports club’.
