The word “legacy” has become something of a buzzword in sport recently, with much being made of the potential for major sporting events to have a lasting impact on the cities and nations that host them. Yet this is nothing new, as Malta’s Mary Rose Herd can readily testify.
When Valetta, the capital of the Mediterranean island, was chosen to host the Games of the Small States of Europe in 1993, it prompted Herd to become a competition official in order to help out at the athletics events. This instigated a two-decade commitment to the sport and a European Athletics Women’s Leadership Award in 2011 for her valuable contributions.
“The Malta Amateur Athletics Association issued a call for all those interested in volunteering at the Games to join a course for persons to become technical officials,” she explains. “I took part, enjoyed it and finished successfully.
After that came the Games themselves, and with them an experience that Mary Rose still counts as her most memorable: “I can never forget the enthusiasm of officiating at the Games in 1993, the very first international event in our country.” That enthusiasm for the sport and officiating has been retained ever since, with her experience and knowledge proving invaluable at the many track and field meetings held at Malta’s Marsa track.
Yet Mary Rose’s contribution to athletics in Malta goes beyond her role as a leading official. Her own running career (she has completed 11 marathons since joining a women’s running group in 1992) and her commitment to mentoring young athletes were was rewarded in 2008 when she was tasked to accompany a Maltese junior team to an international meeting in Brno, Czech Republic, as team manager.
“The trip to Brno was a great experience because I saw at first-hand how other countries organise athletic events and learnt a lot of how things in Malta could be improved for the benefit of our young athletes.”
Many of the young athletes from that team can now be found marshalling at road races around Malta, thanks to Mary Rose’s example.
Receiving Malta’s nomination for the European Athletics Women’s Leadership Award in 2011 was welcome recognition for Herd after serving the sport in her country as a selfless volunteer.
“Winning the award meant a lot to me, because I feel that what I am doing is being noticed, not for the sake of myself but for the sake of our athletes. The role of women within the sport of athletics is very important.”
Since her award, Mary Rose’s contributions to athletics in Malta have continued. With an ambition to be part of the council that organises track and field meetings throughout the year, she recently refreshed her knowledge by attending an officiating course provided by the IAAF, where she again received high marks.
Typically, Mary Rose saw this not in terms of her own success, but as an opportunity to better serve the sport in Malta: “I attended this course which I found very important because of the introduction of new regulations in some of the events. At the end of the course we sat for an examination which consisted of a practical session, an oral session and a written exam. I passed with a very high mark. This will allow me to help my colleagues when we are officiating.”
The European Athletics Women's Leadership Awards
The aim of the European Athletics Women's Leadership Awards is to recognise the behind the scenes work and accomplishments that have helped to make the winners role models for other women in athletics. Coaching young athletes, officiating, setting up and managing clubs... their achievements are as varied as the individuals themselves.
In 2011, 31 women, including Mary Rose Herd, were selected for the biennial award by their national athletics federations. In 2013, 26 winners were named. The next edition will be in 2015.