Life Membership: Patrick ‘Patch’ FALSON (2021)

Patch joined Cronulla Sutherland Water Polo Club twenty years ago in the 2001-02 Summer season as an 11-year-old boy. It’s fair to say that he had been immersed in the sport before he could walk, let alone swim!

Since that first season, Patch’s play progressed well, earning him representative positions in both the NSW and Australian School Boys teams.

Patch’s playing years with Cronulla went uninterrupted over the past 20 years, enabling him to play an impressive 537 club games. He has also been a member of the Cronulla National League team for 11 seasons, including four seasons as the team captain, and racked up 224 National League games before retiring in 2020. As an athlete, Patch has been recognised for his talent at each level of the game, from his age groups through to grade games as well as at the elite level of the National League and this can be seen by the awarding of various perpetual club awards as listed below.

Over the past decade Patch has also taken on the role of Coach, coaching players far more senior in years to himself. He has also participated in numerous coaching clinics designed to improve the skills and understandings of Cronulla’s Academy-level players.

However, what is not as widely known, is Patch’s ability to develop a positive team culture that subtly unifies and promotes a sense of respect and appreciation for each other. His concern for his fellow player’s welfare at all times has meant that players are loyal and lifelong teammates. In his final few years in National League, Patch was considered a mentor and principal leader of the team, hence his position as captain.

In fact, even though the position of Club Captain no longer exists formally in the club management structure, Patch has been performing that role for the past five/ six years.

For the past two years, as Vice President National League, Patch has had to organise, plan, re-organise and re-plan the COVID catastrophe that was our 2020 and 2021 National League competition. This past season, he was instrumental in facilitating 11th hour competitions for our teams to play in, enabling our club teams ‘water time’ and our potential Olympians actual ‘real’ competition possibilities.

An outline of Patrick’s commitments and achievements, as recorded in Annual Reports, are presented below:

• 2001-02 M14B
• 2002-03 M14A Junior Encouragement Award
• 2003-04 M14B, M6B NSW U14 Team
• 2004-05 M16B, M5 Most Improved Junior Male, M5 MVP
• 2005-06 M16A M3B Most Outstanding U16 Male, M16A MVP
• 2006-07 M16
• 2007-08 M18 M18 MVP
• 2008-09 M1
• 2009-10 M1, National League
• 2010-11 M1, National League M1 MVP
• 2011-12 M1, National League National League MVP (Bill Jones Cup), M3 Coach
• 2012-13 M1, National League 100 National League Games, M3 Coach,
• Cronulla Coaching Clinic
• 2013-14 M1, National League
• 2014-15 M1, National League
• 2015-16 M1, National League
• 2016-17 M1, National League
• 2017-18 M1, National League M1 MVP
• 2018-19 M1, National League Captain National League
• 2019-20 M2, National League Vice President – National League, M2 MVP
• 2020-21 Vice President – National League

I hope the committee will consider Patrick’s contributions to Cronulla Sutherland Water Polo Club and support this nomination for the awarding of Life Membership at the upcoming Annual General Meeting.

Nominated by: Jenny Liessmann

Seconded by: Troy Stockwell