It's been eight years since Brett Schofield first put his hand up to volunteer at Albury's Little Athletics club.
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Schofield landed at the track when eldest son Liam began training and noticed a need for more coaching resources.
With no prior athletics background himself, he took on the role, learning and mastering the mentor position as he went along.
Fast forward to 2020 and the super coach has been crowned Victorian Little Athletics Coach of the Year after receiving the Bryan Neighbour award at a virtual ceremony.
Schofield admitted he was humbled to be recognised for his contribution.
"I'm not one of those people who goes out and does things looking for accolades," he said.
"I did some limited coaching with my own son to help him and to gain some more skills.
"As I got more into it I started getting approached by people who wanted some extra coaching for their own kids."
Schofield said he continues to find the volunteer position rewarding after all these years.
"As a coach you have to have a few roles," he said.
"You've got to almost be a psychologist and a mentor.
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"It's when the kids come up and tell me that they've got a new personal best or they've managed to master something that they've been working hard at and putting time into.
"When they get those results, you just see it on their face.
"It's great to see them mature and become amazing people."
Some of his biggest highlights come from seeing the youngsters achieve their goals.
He noted the accomplishments of junior athletes Jack Abbruzzese and Tori English had been particularly special to watch.
"Last year he (Jack) got a silver medal at the state multi event and the year before he'd finished fifth," Schofield said.
"To see that improvement and that maturity in him was really good.
"She (Tori) has achieved some national records at school sport nationals and has some para records.
"That's been an amazing achievement."
However, this year has thrown up some challenges for the coach and his young athletes with COVID-19 restrictions and the border closure impacting their ability to train and compete.
Schofield is now an all-rounder when it comes to athletics, coaching both track and field events.
He has previously served as Albury Little Athletics Club president for five seasons and also held vice-president and secretary positions.
Schofield thanked the club for nominating him for the award, which has become his highest form of recognition to date.
