Policeman Vince Manno, whose work with Onside Soccer earned him a Tattersall’s award valued at $5000 and an extra $15,000 for Onside Soccer, with (behind) Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan and Tattersall’s public affairs manager, Peter Franich.SOCCER devotee Vince Manno has scored an important victory for marginalised Greater Dandenong youth.
The Victoria Police fraud detective spends his off-time helping isolated Greater Dandenong’s young people build confidence and friendships through the Melbourne-based Onside Soccer program.
Gaming giant Tattersall’s last week presented Mr Manno with its monthly community award and will give $5000 to Mr Manno and $15,000 to Onside Soccer.
Mr Manno lives in Endeavour Hills and from time to time helps out with the Doveton Special Soccer Club.
He said Onside Soccer helped marginalised and disadvantaged young people, many of them immigrants, to gain the confidence and skills needed to be a bigger part of the community.
“The youths are generally from Bosnia, China, East Timor, and countries from the Horn of Africa, including Sudan. Onside is a community-based program aimed at giving the young people a sense of belonging in the community,” he said.
Tattersall’s public affairs manager Peter Franich said Mr Manno would be one of 12 monthly award winners who would go into the running to win the annual award.
“The winner will receive $15,000 for themselves and $75,000 for their beneficiary.
“It is a way of Tattersall’s saying thanks to the community,” he said.
The company presented Mr Manno with the award last Friday at Dandenong RSL. The award follows another accolade for Mr Manno that he received in March. Victoria Police awarded the Detective Leading Senior Constable the Australia Police Multicultural Advisory Bureau Award.
