Wayne Unwin

Fandom in any sport can be an exercise in extreme excitement followed by chronic frustration. Profound commitment to a team and its players is what possesses someone to drive over two hours one-way to attend a game week in, week out in the middle of a cold winter. Every NPL club is made up of unheralded souls who give their all to the club, with very little recognition other than playing a behind the scenes role in the success of the team.

They perform some very simple roles such as ensuring kits are clean. These people are parents of players, younger siblings, ex-players or people trying to break into the sports industry.

Here at Football is… we want to tell these stories, the ones we feel need greater recognition among the wider footballing community.

Which brings us to Green Gully SC, a club with a long history, one that some people believe has seen better days. Well almost coincidentally with the arrival of Arthur Papas over the last two years, things have noticeably changed on and off the pitch. The club has developed a voice with an ironic sense of humour and attending home games now has a distinctive look to them. This is largely due to the tireless efforts of Wayne Unwin – one of those volunteers most clubs would love to have, but one this particular northern suburbs club is lucky to have.

Can you tell me how you got involved in the club?

It started when my local team FC Bendigo folded after a season and a new board took over the club licence. The direction the new club decided to take wasn’t really for me so I called it quits. A group of the senior players actually signed with Green Gully. It started with me going to watch them, I just wanted to watch them take part in games. Pretty quickly, I found myself going to watch Green Gully rather than the ex-FC Bendigo players playing for Green Gully.

When I went to watch games the people were really nice and welcoming to both myself and my brother. Also, I could see the passion and pride the people had in the club and their determination to be successful. I guess this rubbed off on me. That, coupled with their history and the potential for the club, it was and still is an exciting combination for me.

Were you familiar with the origins of the club when you joined?

Not exactly. I knew of the club before I first went there and I knew they were one of the bigger, more successful VPL clubs, but that’s about it. How they started and the name Ajax I knew nothing about. I had done a little research, but a friend at the club gave me their 50-year history book and I have learnt a lot off the older guys at the club that have been there since the start.

One of the amazing things you’ve achieved especially over the last 12 months is the placing of hand painted banners around the ground. What was the motivation to do these? What is your process? Why do you do it?

I guess my original motivation to produce the banners was as a creative outlet. I produce other artworks and projects, but there’s always pressure to sell or please clients in those kinds of gigs. The banners gives me freedom to be creative about something I actually care about and have fun with it. I guess my other motivation is it helps me connect to the club, and others connect to the club. I really enjoy learning about club histories and fan culture and imagery. Hopefully with my actions, they will inspire others around the club to do the same. It’s no secret that the Green Gully fan base isn’t huge and it’s a bit older than some clubs. I want to inspire those young kids coming through, to make them feel that Gully is their club. 

I’ve come across a number of people that had no idea Green Gully used to be called Ajax. If I can help pass on that history and people start asking questions about certain banners, and gets the Gully name out there, then it’s a step in the right direction. Some people have thought and suggest I’m trying to create some ‘ultra/active’ movement, but I’m not. It’s about adding colour and sharing the club’s history with people. I want to show people that it’s OK to support and care about a community semi-pro club. A lot of people seem to think if a club’s not playing at a professional standard, then it’s not a real club worth supporting. That’s crap. Some of the most passionate fans I’ve met are at small clubs like those in the NPL. You can’t buy and create passion like that.

Wayne, we first met properly during Gully’s 2016 FFA Cup campaign. Tell me a little about your experience with the FFA Cup. What was it like as a fan?

It was amazing. First the Central Coast Mariners game and then getting to travel interstate was incredible. I had travelled interstate to watch Melbourne Heart before, but to do it with a local team was so much more special. The comeback win against Central Coast is easily my greatest night in following sports. I’ve been lucky to experience other great moments in sport with teams I follow and involved with, but the moment when Liam Boland scored that goal, I still get emotional thinking about it now. It’s just the way it happened. It was like a cheesy Hollywood ending!

What did it mean to you?

For me, I don’t know if I can put it in to any other words than general excitement and happiness. I guess since I haven’t been with the club for a long time, it kinda felt like being in the right place at the right time. I almost feel guilty to be able to experience the moment. What does it mean for the club though? Looking at it from an outsider’s point of view, it’s the night the club came alive again. Looking around the club and talking to people, it kind of felt like the club had lost its way over the last few years, but from that moment, there was a new energy and buzz around the club. Everyone seemed to be getting a little swagger back. To see how much it meant to them and share it. You can’t buy that! It still doesn’t feel real.

Back to the banners, what is your process? Why do you do it?

I would love to say I do them all free hand. They are all made by hand, but I cheat a little and use stencils, projector and trace designs I have made on the computer. I learn something new with each banner I produce and I enjoy the process. I have a few more complicated designs I want to do next, so we’ll see how they go.

Outside of football what is your story? If anyone was to ask about you what would you tell them?  Who is Mr Duke and Crooked Loft?

I make stuff! When I’m not helping to look after my parents, I make clocks under my ‘Crooked Loft’ label. I want to move in to other homeware products and artworks, but right now I’m just focusing on getting my clocks out there. I also make artworks under the ‘Mr Duke’ name.

How did you get in to making clocks?

I guess it evolved from earlier art projects I was doing. I didn’t have an art background, but saw something I liked that gave me an idea and thought to myself, “I could make that!” So I did. I am self-taught and it’s all evolved from there. Clocks came about the same way. I saw a basic clock someone made and developed it to my own style and tastes and then realised others might like them too. I never really planned it, just evolved out of seeing something I liked and then developing it.

What is the fascination and what influences the designs you make?

I don’t really know exactly. I guess I like older, industrial things that are made modern. I like it when things are transformed and seen in a new light. Like my clocks, they have been inspired by the old European train station clocks and have been given a colourful twist. I also like it when larger items are made smaller and vice-versa.

Is there any connection to the football banners?

I wouldn’t say in terms of art style there is, but in terms of how I was inspired and the process, there is. The banners have come about the same way. I would see these huge banners and Tifo at games overseas and wondered why they made them and then decided I could do that. They have developed the same way as my other art projects. The motives are different, but the learning and development process are very similar.

 

Wayne, complete this sentence, Football is…..Community, and where my interests all come together.

Alex + Marcus Schroen

Football is recently had a coffee with siblings Alex and Marcus Schroen and we have to admit to being unsure where the interview would go, but came away from our coffee with an appreciation of the importance of family in whatever you decide to pursue in life. 

Alex and Marcus have had a long relationship with football. They started at the ages of 9 and 7 respectively and you could almost consider them veterans, if it weren’t for the fact they are only in their twenties.

Alex stepped into the world of football after going to watch Marcus at training in Bentleigh. After attending a few sessions, it was only natural that Alex wanted to play. This would become the beginnings of a 15+ year football journey they have enjoyed side-by-side.

Curiously, this would mark the only time the two brothers played at the same club, with both moving onto new clubs after just the sole season at the Kingston Heath-based club.

While having never faced off against each other, the Schroens always embarked on extra training, committing to private academies to develop their skills until their dedication to the sport followed them into adulthood. 

For Marcus, the pursuit of football as a profession began at an early age.

“I always wanted to be a footballer growing up and wanted to take it to the next level when I was 14 or 15 years of age,” he explained.

“Around that age I really started to set goals and worked out a plan to being a pro footballer.

“I just loved it as a kid and that’s what I always wanted to be. You see the pros on TV and then when you go and watch a game, it’s just super exciting. When you realise that’s what you want to do you, work out a way to do it and how to get there.”

Alex, the older of the two brothers, has had repeated offers to ply his trade in the NPL but insists that unlike Marcus, he’s approached football as a serious hobby.

“I enjoy keeping fit and just trying to take it as far as I can but not necessarily a career path. Marcus, took it on board to make it his career and that’s where we split,” Alex clarifies.

The role of parents in the growth of these young footballers is crucial. Marcus acknowledges that their mother and father have always supported them both on and off the pitch.

“You can’t really do it without your parents support, they drive you here and there, getting all the equipment, paying for academies, their support and encouragement is pretty important, especially when you are younger.”

"Mum and Dad always said to us – if you want to take football all the way that’s fine.  We’ll do everything we can to get you there but you guys need to do the hard work,” Alex recounts.

How important is your family unit?

Alex/Marcus: “It’s very important. Family is always there regardless. When you go through tough times and good times, family will always be there at the end of the day. Your family is the rock. Family and health are the two most important things. They are there from day one and they will be there in the end – the people you rely upon the most and care about the deepest.”

Injuries will often play a big role in the formative lives of a young footballer, something that was brought home to the duo (quite literally) a few weeks ago.

Both brothers were recently in the casualty ward of the parents’ Mentone home after a horror weekend, where injuries came to the Schroen household as a double act.

‘Our injuries happened on the Saturday and we were sitting on the couch on Sunday next to each other and dad was just giving it to us!” Alex cries.

Football is: Was this a strange experience?

Marcus: "Injuries are just a part of football and something you deal with. I’ve had to deal with injury in the past and unfortunately it’s something Alex will have to deal with now. Hopefully, because I’ve been their and done that I can help him a long a bit.”

Football is: When you do spend time out injured, what shapes your mindset?

Alex: “My mindset now is relative to what happened last August with the osteitis pubis I had to stop two thirds through the season and I was battling the injury quite a while.  Over time it got progressively worse and in late August I pulled the pin and had my MIR scan.  From late August until February ‘17 I’d been working to get back in shape and then I did my knee.  The MIR results came back and mentally it’s just thrown me out.”

“I’ve been generally upset, a bit angry annoyed. It’s just the luck of the draw. No one asked for this to happen. But then I just thought –  you know what I’ll just get through the surgery, I’ll take whatever time I need, I can go back to work, focus on my job and just enjoy the rest of the year.”

“I’ll still be involved with the club. It gives me a chance to focus on a few other things that I sort of sacrificed in the years I’ve been playing, I can spend more time on other hobbies or with friends.”

“There’s been a lot of times we’ve had to sacrifice friends for soccer, especially on weekends. But they understand as well. In terms of mindset, it’s really thrown me around a bit but I’ll get over it and stop sooking (laughs)!”  

Football is: Outside of football what do you do?

Alex: ‘I tried to be a pilot in the Australian Defence Force but was unsuccessful. I’m a qualified electrician, I’ve been qualified for two and half years, being a sparky was my next choice.’

Football is: Alex, what is it about travel that you love? How does it make you feel when you arrive in a new destination?

“Travel is for experience, culture and adventure. Your only concern with travelling is what you’re going to see for the day. Emma (my girlfriend) and I didn’t have enough time in each city of town to see everything we wanted.”

"If I had my way I’d be travelling right now I love it."

Marcus has made no illusions about his desire to become a professional footballer, however, his current role as a semi-professional player for South Melbourne means he must find other work.

Outside of football, Marcus graduated from a degree in Business and Sports Management in 2016 and currently finding time to coach and work in retail while plying his trade at the famed South Melbourne Hellas.

Marcus: “I love working with people outside of football I love travelling, obviously I spent three years in Holland. One of my best mates is a massive traveller. He’s been backpacking through Europe, Asia, parts of the Middle East and that’s kind of rubbed off on to me. I’ve been backpacking a to Europe, New Zealand and recently South America.”

“I travel when I get the chance. I love to see the world. Even here in Victoria, I’ll go up to the Great Ocean Road for some camping and hiking. Travel opens your eyes to see how lucky we are in Melbourne. For me, it’s the best city in the world. How lucky we are to be in a place like this! It makes you appreciate what we’ve got here but also to see other cultures and the other way people live as well.”

One could be forgiven for thinking there was a fair bit of competition between the two brothers; a notion they quickly – almost too quickly – shot down.

“No!" they both shouted when I questioned if there’s any strong sense of sibling rivalry.

“Competitive means being in competition with Marcus, but Marcus excelled at football better than I did because he did all the hard yards and to his credit it has gotten him somewhere,” Alex admits.

"We are closer now than we used to be back when we were 17 or 18 years old. We used to share a room - messy and clean. I don’t know if I need to say anymore (laughs)!’

Marcus adds: “We are closer now because we have our freedom and don’t see each other as much.”

Football is: Tell me the thing you’ve learned most from each other?

Marcus: “Even though I was younger, we were at each other’s throats a little bit. As we got older we matured a bit more and learned to get on a bit better. Spending more time apart means you begin to appreciate each other more and more. I knew he had my back no matter what. When it came down to it, I’ve learned to do the same for people I care about in my life. No matter what situation, to have their back and always be their in their time of need.”

Alex: “Marcus taught me that even though life can put you on your knees literally, you can still keep doing it. Even though he has had two serious injuries, he still keeps going at it. It’s not fair. It’s almost like I wish it happened to me. Marcus, who is trying to make it his career and does all the right things outside of it. Sometimes it’s not fair that the injuries happened to him and not me.

"He taught me to keep going even if you get knocked down."

Football is: Last question;

Gents, complete this sentence Football is…

Alex, …like having another family

Marcus, …incredible