Bristol Paints Volunteer of the Month: Jason Buchanan

On-site from day dot. Our Bristol Volunteer of the Month for December has been an ever-present and integral part of the Pakenham Eels Touch Association since its inception. From the early days of planning meetings, ideas on how to facilitate the needs a growing population and discussing club grounds, Jason Buchanan has been involved.

As the inaugural President Jason is always all hands-on deck, from line-marking, refereeing and of course lacing up and getting onto the field to ensure all at the club feel involved and have a chance to play the game so many of us love.

Jason has a diverse and unique background which he believes primes him for all things Pakenham Touch throws up. However, his most enduring quality is his passion for having a go and assisting anyone that needs a team or helping hand!

As our Bristol Paint Volunteer of the Month, we speak to Jason about Touch Football in Victoria and the incredible role he’s played at Pakenham Eels Touch Association.

Congratulations Jason, can you begin by telling us about your Touch Football journey?

Really appreciate this acknowledgement, thanks! My Touch Football journey really began back in 2015 when the idea of bringing a footy club to Pakenham came to light. Upon being approached to get a league club up and running, I knew that for this club to be successful we needed to have a touch program aligned with the club & we made sure that happened. Touch Footy became our summer solution to ensure we had a product all year round for participants.

Personally, touch has always been a part of my life having played on and off throughout. During my time at Pakenham, I’ve tried to have a team registered every year, we aren’t often a chance but that isn’t always the point, is it? Fun, smiles, fitness, friendship, and socialising – that’s why we all love this game.

Since the club has become established, we offer both league and touch options, with the touch competition currently the bigger program – we have nearly 300 people playing Touch Footy per night which in 6 years is something we’re all very proud of!

What was it about Touch Footy that you thought it had to be a part of this start-up Rugby League club?

The skills are quite interchangeable and with the correlation of NRL Touch Football and the NRL itself it was a synergy we couldn’t pass up on, it just made sense. We offered touch in the summer which allowed people to continue playing a game they love and is now our primary deliverable at the club. We’re hoping in time to have enough volunteers that people can either focus on the touch side of the club or the league side – for now it’s shared by the many.

From a personal point of view, I always have a team in the Touch competition. The reason for this is I want to ensure everyone has a chance to play the game, whether you need a couple players to fill in or you’re looking for a team to jump into to – that’s where my side comes into play!

We aren’t there for any glory, of course winning would be nice but I’d be able to count on one hand the victories we’ve gotten since 2016! But this team’s ability to include and never exclude is the reason I come back year in, year out.

How would you say the first 5 years have gone for the club?

Overall, it’s been a resounding success! We often look back at where we started in 2015 with just some ideas and a couple interested parties to now where we have hundreds of participants playing both tackle and touch formats and our own facilities for the club, it has been unreal.

To someone looking to start up or get involved in a touch association I say – do it! Get some good people around you that share your passion, and with some luck on your side you’ll be able to get things up and running. Every Touch Football association (big or small) started out at some point in time and their success is built on people who love the sport and see what it can do for them, their community and especially their health and fitness.

You have worn many hats whilst involved at Pakenham, do you have a favourite or one you’d revisit?

Being involved from the beginning does mean I’ve dipped my toe into a lot of elements of the club – and for me I’ve enjoyed most if not every moment of it. Of course, there’s obstacles and challenges along the way (especially that one called COVID) but you make it through learning a heap.

We’ve been able to create and nurture a great culture at the club from its infancy, a culture of inclusivity and participation. Recently we’ve been looking at upskilling touch footballers through an 8-week program we run. Our younger participants aged from 10-12 years old complete specialist training programs at the club teaching them the basic fundamentals of the game.

We’ve also developed programs within the club to allow for all and any skill bases. From those who have never picked up a Steeden to those who are looking to take the next step and really invest in their game. This is where my passion lies, the development of juniors and ensuring their longevity inthe game.

Awesome work so far with the club! Now, what would be your favourite Touch Footy memory?

Just quickly, none of this would be possible without the help, dedication and assistance of all my other committee members. It’s a constant team effort throughout and we’re always looking for growth opportunities.

It would be tough to pick just the one & this may seem a little odd, but back in 2017 weather impacted matches one round that we couldn’t afford to miss. We were only in our second year as a club and didn’t want to turn people away, so we really rallied and did our best to ensure that this particular Monday night of our competition proceeded.

We couldn’t mark the fields properly, there were no in-goals, it was a basic setup and we only just managed to tightly squeeze 2 fields side-by-side. It was our first litmus test as a committee and example of everyone pulling together for the greater good of our participants. We’re able to look back on a day now and realise how far we’ve come, how much we’ve learnt and the appreciation from the Touch Footballers on that night to be able to play! That’s all everyone wants, is to just play.

With all that in mind, what is next for Jason Buchanan?

Keep building this club in Victoria. We’ve been able to host a Victorian State Cup at our grounds which was awesome, and we want to keep contributing to the growth and development of the sport in this State We want to create competitive pathways that become a breeding ground for Victorian Storm representation and continue to build our juniors, we have not yet nailed it but we’re improving in this area all the time.

Finally, if you were to win the Bristol Paint Volunteer of the Year award and $15,000 worth of prizes towards a home or club renovation – what project comes to mind?

There are always jobs to be done around the club so this would help a lot.

As our Bristol Volunteer of the Month, Jason is now eligible for the Bristol Paint TFA Volunteer of the Year (VOY) Award. The TFA VOY will receive paint and labour to the value of $15,000 for the refurbishment project of their choice, thanks to our friends at Bristol Paint.

DON’T FORGET – All Touch Footy participants are entitled to 15-20% OFF Bristol Paint products.  Download your exclusive discount card on our website here.