Drew McMullin

Drew McMullin was awarded life membership of Melbourne University Soccer Club in 2022. Drew has made a significant contribution to MUSC as a player, coach, volunteer, and supporter over his 20-year association with the club.

Drew joined the club in 2004. After playing a lot of indoor, he decided to give outdoor football one last go with a few of friends. They looked at a couple of clubs and MUSC was centrally located to them all. They went to watch a game and thought people seemed welcoming, so went along for the next pre-season. Drew hoped to get a couple of years out of the club, and basically never left! The club has benefited greatly from Drew’s contributions.

Player

Drew played 150+ games for MUSC over seven years. These matches were mainly in Thirds/Metro teams, but played across the entire spread of the club’s men’s teams, including two games for the first XI.

During his playing days as a GK (before the double hip replacement!), as well as fulfilling his duties to his own team, Drew answered the call for a fill in for many of the club’s other teams, regularly playing two or more matches each home matchday. Drew’s personal record was playing four games in a weekend (as well as sitting on the bench for seniors in a fifth match)!

Drew demonstrated leadership qualities by captaining a team and his contribution and good character have been recognised with awards bestowed upon him by his coaches and teammates.

Drew remained a supporter of the club in 2011 when side-lined during his rehabilitation from hip replacement surgeries.

Coach

Drew has been a coach or assistant coach for 150+ MUSC matches.

Drew coached the Men’s Metro 4 NW team for five consecutive seasons from 2012-2016. He then stepped up to coach the Men’s State League 5 West Reserves team in 2017. The team won the league on the last day of the season. Drew also supported the MSL5 seniors who finished 3rd and just missed out on promotion. Drew was an assistant coach for Men’s State League 4 reserves and seniors in the 2018 season, assisting the MSL4 North Reserves in winning their league.

Without volunteer coaches, MUSC’s teams would not exist. Drew’s volunteering as a coach over seven years gave participation opportunities to many players. Players in Drew’s teams did not just turn up to train/play and then disappear; through the expectations and example Drew set, his players engaged with the wider club and contributed positively to its culture. Drew always ensured his teams met their volunteering requirements. Drew’s teams have produced numerous club leaders and he has inspired other players to take on volunteer coaching duties at the club. Players Drew discovered and encouraged to play at a higher level at the club have gone on to make valuable contributions to the Men’s State League teams – Arran Carey winning MSL5 senior MVP and Aaron Cooper winning a MSL5 golden boot, both of whom started at the club in Drew’s Metro 4 team, are examples.

Drew took a lead role in the coordination of Thirds pre-season EOIs, trials, selection & registration as both a player and coach from 2008 to 2014, and volunteered his time to facilitate a friendly at Prince Park between his Metro 4 team and a team made up of disadvantaged youth from the Carlton area.

Volunteer

Drew has served on various MUSC committees across eight seasons (and counting!). At the time he was awarded with life membership, Drew was still serving on the club’s Football Committee- one of a few, if not the only, active club volunteer not currently playing or coaching at the club.

Drew was awarded the Ian Johnston Trophy for Thirds Clubman of the Year in 2007.

Drew served on the Men’s Committee as the Thirds Officer for three seasons (2007-2009), advocating strongly for greater mutual involvement and integration of Thirds football in general club activities and resource allocation.

Drew served on the Men’s Committee as a General Member for two seasons (2012-2013). Drew took a lead role in drafting the new constitution to make the club compliant with Consumer Affairs Victoria and Football Victoria requirements following changes to the incorporated associations act – a significant undertaking!

In 2019, Drew was consulted to review the terms of reference and committee charter to bring the club’s Football Committee into existence, and has served on that committee since 2020. Drew has worked with the committee to ensure greater clarity and transparency around resource allocation across the club. Drew took a lead role in an interview process to review and inform future discussions around squad structure, hierarchy and selection policy for the club’s men’s teams. Drew has engaged in reviews of bursary applications, end of year coaching review interviews, and defining the purpose and expectations of the club’s high-performance teams to inform long-term planning and goal setting.

Football Victoria Men’s Standing Committee

Between 2013 and 2015, Drew served as a volunteer member of the Football Victoria Men’s Standing Committee as the Central Zone representative.

In 2015, Drew saved MUSC from losing its second Men’s State League squad. Without any consultation with our club, FV were on track to remove the rule permitting MUSC to have two Men’s State League entries (an exception made when the Rangers and Blues merged in the mid-2000s). The rule change would have happened if Drew had not been volunteering on the committee and intervened and been instrumental in securing a different outcome on behalf of MUSC. Drew engaged in direct negotiation with the CEO of Football Victoria and gained the support of the Standing Committee (initially opposed to MUSC’s two entries) to enshrine MUSC’s exemption to multiple team entries. The club’s recent history would be very different had we lost one of the MSL squads.

Whilst on the FV Standing Committee, Drew also advocated for community clubs and Metro teams, specifically in relation to costs of participation and Rules of Competition. Drew also represented the Men’s Standing Committee to the FV Competition Feedback Group dealing with a review of league structures and implementation of the NPL, review of Rules of Competition and State League admission requirements.

While these contributions were to a Football Victoria committee, they have had a direct and positive impact on Melbourne University SC and the teams it has entered in Metro and MSL competitions.

Summary

The club regularly puts out calls to actions to large groups of its members, with few engaging because they assume someone else will respond and do what is being asked. Drew has always responded to calls to action. Filling out surveys, giving feedback on ideas, reviewing policies, making presentations at functions with little to no notice, taking ownership of mundane and complex tasks, nominating others for recognition: Drew is a reliable and valued all-round contributor to the club.

It is incredibly rare for people to donate their time to the club when they are not a current player (or coach). In each of the four years from 2019-2022, Drew was one of a few, and in some years the only, volunteer not involved in the club as a player or coach. This was true dedication.

• Thirds Clubman of the Year (2007)
• 150+ matches as a player over seven seasons (2004-2010)
  • Team captain
  • 1x Coach’s Award (2004)
  • 1x Runner-up MVP (2009)
• 150+ matches as a volunteer coach over seven seasons (2012-2018)
  • 2x Men’s State League Reserve Championships as a coach
  • Exceptional engagement from teams coached in club activities
• 8+ years serving on MUSC committees
  • 3 years as the Men’s Committee Thirds Officer
  • 2 years as a Men’s Committee General Member
  • 3+ years as a Football Committee member
• 3 years as Central Zone rep on the FV Men’s Standing Committee
  • Preserved MUSC’s ability to enter two MSL sides