Lynette McKernan
Lynette McKernan’s involvement in football began in 1970, when her sons John and Andrew joined the Doveton SC. A regular in the canteen and on jersey-washing duties, McKernan’s involvement grew rapidly and she soon became a key member of the Club's fundraising efforts and presentation nights.
Progressive and strong-willed, when McKernan’s daughters Julie-Anne and Lyn matched their brothers' desire to play, McKernan was sparked into action.
McKernan began recruiting - and recruiting hard. Tapping into the local community, taking out advertisements in the local news and speaking to anyone that would listen about football, it didn't take her long to assemble a full squad of young women, dubbed the ‘Doveton Ladies’. Unusual at the time, the Doveton Ladies trained twice a week and took the idea of competitive football seriously. McKernan ultimately drafted a code for her players to train, play and live by. Her motto: ‘Harmony creates better players’.
In 1972 she coached her team in their first match and the noise she was creating in the local community drew more eyes and ears to the female game. McKernan continuously fought to raise both funds and awareness, and in just three months she had done enough to purchase her team jerseys and a strip of leather, which she personally hand-crafted into numbers to sew onto each uniform.
In an era where the few female teams that existed were limited to friendlies or exhibitions, McKernan’s next initiative was to organise an all-girls Gala Day. Taking place in late 1972, the Ladies Soccer Carnival, held at Waratah Reserve in Doveton, featured six teams and was a roaring success.
The teams competed for the Lynette McKernan trophy and fittingly, Doveton Ladies, coached by Lynette and captained by her daughter Julie-Anne, took home the major prize. It is widely believed that this was the first trophy that multiple women’s teams played for in Victoria.
Following this historic occasion, in early 1973 McKernan, along with other like-minded contemporaries, petitioned the then Victorian Soccer Federation (VSF) to establish an official women’s competition. Recognising the burgeoning interest, the VSF elected to stage a women’s match as the curtain raiser to Victoria’s upcoming clash with Brazilian giants Cruzeiro, which was to be held at Olympic Park.
Doveton Ladies, recognised as pioneers of women’s football, were selected to take on Bayswater (now Knox City) in the curtain raiser, but for McKernan, things took a dark turn. For reasons which remain unknown, McKernan was removed from her position as Head Coach at Doveton in the build up to the game.
Relegated to the bench, her daughters were left devastated, however, McKernan fought hard to ensure their participation in the event, liaising with Eric Holbrook, the coach of Bayswater at the time. He was able to include them in the Baywater team for the match, where they played in their Doveton strips.
While her role in the curtain raiser was pivotal, McKernan would go on to attend the inaugural meeting of the Victorian Women’s Soccer Association (VWSA) on December 8, 1973. With 10 Clubs represented, Fred Habbe, Kip Sumner and Jacqui Ager were elected as office bearers, while McKernan and two others joined them to form the inaugural VWSA committee, where she continued to advocate for the women’s game.
Lynette McKernan was a pioneer in every sense of the word. In an era where the idea of organised and competitive women’s football was near incomprehensible, she fought to break down barriers and pave the way for future generations.
McKernan passed away in 2006, but her contribution and legacy will forever be appreciated.