Queanbeyan City has always been in Charles Ban’s blood, a connection that has seen him pick up the mantle left by his club-founding grandfather to lead them into its modern era.
The Vice-President has played an instrumental role in revolutionising their operations since he came on board for the 2022 season, namely restoring the Queanbeyan matchday experience, bringing on board sponsors and planning for a semi-professional future.
Looking back football represented an important part of Ban’s childhood memories.
“My grandfather on my Hungarian side was Charlie Kogon and he is my namesake,” he explained. “He used to be a sports physio for Cooma Tigers and Deakin [Canberra Croatia].
“For me, my earliest memories [of] going to football [was] with him and going into the changing rooms, watching the senior players get ready for their game.”
With the sport as an early influence in his life, Ban’s time with City began with his football career.
“I’ve played for Queanbeyan as a junior and a senior on and off, and then I’ve played at Cooma Tigers and a few other clubs,” he detailed.
Following University in Canberra, Ban moved to Sydney for around eight years until returning to Queanbeyan in 2021, where he very quickly began to rekindle his affinity with the club.
“For my first year back in Queanbeyan I caught the second half of the season, and basically I started to go to games again, watching it as a fan,” he said. “I didn’t actually know this because my grandfather had passed away, so I’m half Macedonian and I found out through a friend that he was actually a founding father of Queanbeyan City, and his name was Victor Tsakalos.
“I was like wow, a club that’s nearly sixty years old, so not only did I have that playing attachment, but it was also actually a lot deeper than that, so my passion sort of grew again.”
Having re-found his love for City, Ban wasn’t going to remain a mere spectator for much longer.
“Going to the games, I knew a few of the committee members,” he recalled. “It was recommended by an older committee member who retired that I get involved in the club.
“The thing with Queanbeyan is it’s always been run by the older generation, and they’ve done the best job that they can, but the world’s changed a lot in terms of the amount of communication and work that needs to be done.”
After an eight-week period of contemplation, the decision was clear in Ban’s mind.
“I sort of thought, well if I don’t step in then who is going to?” he said. “We had a committee meeting at the end of the year and I said I’ll step in.”
In accepting a position at Queanbeyan, Ban voiced his desire for a particular role at the club, and it remains his responsibility today.
“I suppose the official title is Vice President, but also sort of Sports Director of the senior side,” he explained. “I have a say in who gets signed, and also manage the day-to-day operations.”
His all-encompassing role saw him institute many changes to progress the club forward upon joining Queanbeyan’s staff.
“I just went back to basics with the club and looked at our sponsorships,” he said. “At the time when I joined there was one main sponsor that happened to be the president of the club.
“We expanded our sponsorship, and that was going to be the more sustainable approach.
“[We] also worked closely with the coaching staff…implementing people in positions, we brought on a strength and conditioning coach.”
Ban’s alterations were a part of the club’s rebuilding phase throughout the 2022 season, with his work recently showing positive signs of growth through the rejuvenation of Queanbeyan’s home matches.
“It was a successful season in terms of game day experience [which] was a big one after the incident in 2021 with the ref,” Ban said. “We focused on toughening up our expectations and making sure [that] we were complying with Capital Football’s requirements.
“We’ve always had one of the best crowds in Canberra and that has only grown from last year to this year…all of a sudden [teams] will come to High Street and there’s 250 people watching the game and they’re pumped up, it’s like they’re playing a Champions League final.”
“The biggest difference is young families feeling comfortable to come to games, that’s been a big one, and we’ve done things throughout the year to enable that to happen like face painting, jumping castles, and including kids in the game day walkout.”
In terms of his personal ambitions for Queanbeyan, the Vice President is determined for his work ethic to reap rewards at the club.
“My legacy is about, if you put hard work in, then the proof is in the pie,” he said. “Then no one, whether it’s internal or external, will question the work that you’re doing. For me respect is the main driver…and in order to be respected, you need to be in the thick of it and doing everything.”
“The second one is the education of our youth as well,” he noted. “I think there’s a big path for sports to educate young men and women to be better people.”
Ban also has a goal in mind for the club, desiring a transition to a more professional structure that will come with the promotion of the junior teams to the Capital Premier League (CPL) and the first team’s promotion to the top tier.
“With that [promotions] comes a need to move the club into a semi-professional outfit which we’re still building on,” he said. “So [implementing] proper systems, structures, proper goals and strategic plans, all that sort of stuff.”
Overall, there is one notion that drives Ban to continue pursuing further growth as a club.
“To know that my grandfather was one of the starting members, it almost feels like an obligation, it’s in my blood,” he said. “I want to make sure that [since] the day that I stepped in, the club is in a better position than it was, and at the moment, it is.”
Outside of his ceaseless commitment to Queanbeyan City, Ban works full-time in the construction industry as a project manager, while his spare time affords him opportunities to enjoy himself.
“Family is a big focus,” he said. “Moving back from Sydney, one of the main drivers was being closer to family.”
“I also enjoy swimming at the moment which is good, and I’m engaged, getting ready for a wedding at the end of the year so that’s probably another big focus.”
Words: Sam Watson