Dennis with his life membership.
Dennis Robinson has seen it all when it comes to the EFL. Dennis is a life member of the Mooroolbark Football Club after playing 205 games, coaching the reserves and boundary umpiring for 19 years. Now he heads down every Saturday afternoon to watch his beloved Mustangs. Having been involved at the club since 1976 I sat down with Dennis to have a chat about what the Mooroolbark Football Club means to him.
Hi Dennis, thanks for sitting down for a chat, What drew you to Mooroolbark in the first place?
We brought a house in Croydon in 1975 and was looking for a football club to continue playing. An ad in the local paper was asking for players at Mooroolbark which caught my eye, I went down and met the President it started from there. I was coaching Kinglake at the time, so I finished the year there and started in 1976 and have been there ever since.
What was your greatest achievement at the football club?
Well, it would probably would be playing 200 games with Mooroolbark, as I was 27 when I first started with the club and went on to play until I was 41.
Getting life membership must have been a huge thrill, how did it feel to receive the honour?
I received my life membership after playing my 200th game. I believe it is the best honour a club can give someone. I am very proud to have received it.
After your playing career why did you decide to boundary umpire for all those years?
After I finished playing, I needed to find a way to keep involved with the club. I knew how hard it was to get people to do the small jobs that need to be done like boundary umpiring and that the way for me to do my bit for the club. I was not expecting it to last for 19 years but I loved every minute of it. Some comments you needed to have good sense of humour as some of those opposition supporters were very colourful.
Dennis at his final game.
Why do you still go to watch the club every week?
I have been going to the football every Saturday for all my life and I’ve been going to Mooroolbark for 40 of those years. There is always someone to have a beer and a chat with. Also don’t tell the wife but it gets me out of doing the chores around the house for at least a day.
Finally, what does the Mooroolbark Football Club mean to you?
The football club has been a big part of me and my family’s life for almost 40 years and I will always be grateful to the club for this.
You can visit Mooroolbark’s website here and on twitter @mooroolbarkfc
You can follow me on twitter @c_kennedy23
It's More Than a Game 