The volunteers behind the Macleay Valley Eagles

The Macleay Valley Eagles are no different and with far less of a pool of players to choose from their work is only made harder by organising and participating in a sport that doesn't have the popularity of rugby league and other codes in rural NSW areas.

Both Ronda Colliver and Kevin Ackerly have been the heart and soul of the Eagles since they joined the club around 10 years ago, with Ronda acting as Treasurer, Registrar and one of the bus drivers whilst Kevin is the Vice-President of the club and junior coach.

When you talk to both Ronda and Kevin you can see and hear the passion they have for the local community and Australian Rules Football.

Their dedication was previously recognised in 2017, when they were awarded a Federal Member's Award for unselfish work throughout the community.

Whilst the Eagles are based in Kempsey, the couple reside in South West Rocks which makes for a busy Sunday when game day approaches.

"We bought our own bus so we could pick up most of our juniors for the games," Ronda said.

"It takes us about one and a half hours to pick up everyone, travelling from the Rocks and going to all the different houses throughout Kempsey.

The dynamic duo are both originally from Melbourne with Kevin spending his playing career at Yarraville Football Club, now known as the Yarraville Seddon Eagles.

After moving to the area, they ventured to a Macleay Valley away game where the abuse given to Indigenous children shocked both Kevin and Ronda.

"We went to watch a game and I was really incensed by the abuse from adults given to Indigenous kids, it was really shocking and I said to Ron I'm going to get involved and help out the club and the kids," Kevin said.

Along with their work during the season, Ronda and Kevin have previously accompanied some of their junior players on a tour of Melbourne where kids were flown down for an all expenses paid trip, the majority experiencing their first plane ride.

The trip involved tours of the MCG and Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Zoo and Eureka Skydeck where Ronda said the kids didn't want to leave.

The tour of Melbourne also saw the club participate in various matches against junior football clubs, including East Ringwood Roos who are now a sister club of the Eagles.

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Ronda said the kids behaviour was exemplary throughout the trip.

"The kids manners were exceptional, they knew the weight of the occasion and at one point they didn't want to walk casually out onto the field for a game they waited for each other and ran out as if they were playing in the national competition," she said.

Northern NSW AFL Manager, Simon Smyth, was full of praise for the Eagles' volunteers when contacted by the Argus.

"They've been the heartbeat of the Eagles for the last ten years, they're often recognised on behalf of the Macleay Valley at the AFL North Coast Volunteer of the Year awards," he explained.

"They've done so much, they've coached every team, registered every kid, put some of them under their roof and fed them amongst a whole list of other things."

Ronda and Kevin normally visit schools to promote the game and teach kids the skills of the game, however COVID-19 has impacted heavily upon that.

"They get a lot of players from our Paul Kelly Cup, which is our primary school - intra school competition, we haven't been able to run anything or go into any school so that's made it really challenging from a recruitment point of view," Smyth said.

President, Evan Aspiotis, is also heavily involved with the Eagles and there's no surprises as to who brought him to the club.

"I'm originally from Melbourne as well and grew up with AFL," he said.

"I moved to Kempsey around five years ago and met Kevin at PCYC where we had a chat and it went from there - I've coached the 13's and previously played for Nambucca Heads Lions and Sawtell."

There's no prizes for guessing what Kevin and Ronda do at PCYC - volunteering by cooking and helping out with all sorts of activities.

Evan is a Learning Support Officer at Melville High and says volunteering for the club is a great way to assist others.

"Helping other people is extremely rewarding and it's great to see smiles on faces," he said.

This year, due to COVID-19 the Eagles will be participating in a shortened season 10 round format with the junior season to start on July 19.

Currently, the Eagles are on the lookout for a secretary, coaches, team managers, first aid officer, goal umpires and canteen assistant with training provided for all these positions.

With other codes potentially not going ahead, Smyth has previously told the Argus it's a great opportunity for people who have been curious about AFL or simply want their winter sporting fix to get involved and have a crack.

If you're interested head on over to the Macleay Valley Eagles Facebook page.