Two of 2008’s Victorian Country’s best footballers have shared the October Award in the Horsham Sports and Community Club Sports Star of the Year.  Steve Schultz representing the Kalkee Football Club and Phil Butsch representing Laharum Football Club will receive embroidered Sports Star of the Year jackets courtesy of DAGS Quality Screen Printing and voucher from Hip Pocket Workwear for having their efforts on being selected in the Victorian Country Football League team which competed against other states at the Australian Country Championships. 

The similarities between the two players is marked – both are aged 25, both have played the sport for 15 years, both jointly coached their respective teams in Horsham and District League and their teams just happened to play against one another in this years Grand Final. 

Steve Shultz gained All Australian team selection at the National Carnival, one of only two district league players to make the team and took out the Bob Templeton Medal as Victoria’s best Division 2 player for the championships.  He also won the Dellar family medal as the best senior player in the League, won his club best and fairest award and his team ran out victors in the District League Premiership Grand Final.

Phil Butsch had previously represented Victoria at the Australian Country Championships in 2006, took out the 2008 Wimmera Mail Times Champion Player Award, won the Laharum Senior best and fairest for the 4th time and was voted the best player in three of the four District League final series matches.

Both young men are a credit to their sport and are looked up to as role models.  In 2009 Steve will continue his coaching role with Kalkee while Phil has taken on the challenge of moving in to the Wimmera Football League to play with the Horsham Saints.

Steve and Phil join Levi Burns, Lachlan King and Joel Ladlow as previous winners of the monthly awards who are eligible to win the $1,000 Sports Star Scholarship and trophy at the 2009 February presentations.  If you know of someone who is doing well at their sport and deserves some recognition, why not nominate them in the DAGS Screen Printing and Hip Pocket Workwear Sports Star of the Month. 

All nominees in the monthly award will be presented with certificates signed by the Minister for Sport and Recreation, James Merlino, and each monthly winner receives (aside from the jacket and voucher), a free ticket to the annual presentation and a specially struck medallion from Wimmera Trophies and Gifts.

Nominations are welcome at any time and forms are available from the Sports Assembly 5382 4599 or log onto www.wrsa.org.au   A reminder that the Special Category awards (teams, coaches, veterans etc)  are welcome at any time and will be presented alongside the Horsham Sports and Community Club Sports Star of the Year to be held on Monday February 16, 2009.