Pride, passion and a sense of home fills his body as he does his bit for his beloved Eaglehawk Football Netball Club.

"I love the place,'' Ilsley said.

"I wouldn't want to do anything else."

Ilsley doing his "bit" for the Borough underplays how much he has put into the club.

The son of Eaglehawk footy royalty - the late George Ilsley - Gerard Ilsley is part of the furniture at Canterbury Park.

"I'm lucky because I was born into the place because Dad was such a legend here,'' Ilsley said.

George Ilsley had not long finished his distinguished 350-plus game career with the Borough when Gerard started selling match programs at Canterbury Park in 1966.

"Dad had just taken over as ground manager,'' Ilsley said.

"I did that until I was about 11 or 12. Then me and the late Greg "Toots" Trewhella did the scoreboard when it used to be up behind the goals (at the Simpsons Road end).

"I  broke my hips when I was 16 and that was the end of my footy playing days.

"Instead of playing I got into administration and when I was 18 I became the reserves team manager."

That led to becoming the senior team manager and in the 1990s Ilsley also took on the role of club secretary. It's a role he's held on and off for more than 15 years since.

The secretary role in the 1990s was not an easy gig.

While the Borough have been a power of the BFNL for the past dozen years, the club was on its knees in the 1990s.

Between 1994 and 1998 the Hawks won just eight matches and picked up the wooden spoon twice.

"People forget that in the 1990s we were in real trouble,'' Ilsley said.

"We had a big debt and were losing games by 40 goals.

"It took a lot of hard work for the club to pay off its debt and get back on track on the field.

"From about 2004 we started to come good again."

Washing jumpers, cleaning rooms, filling water bottles, pumping up footballs, completing paper work - it's a labour of love for Ilsley.

"I'm here seven days a week during the season. It might be just for an hour or it could be five hours... it just depends what needs to be done.

"My family is a big part of it. My older brother took over from Dad as ground manager, (my son) Bailey did the scoreboard and Mum's 88 or 89 now and she still sews up the jumpers if needed.

"There's always something to do. It's an 11-month of the year job now. You take a bit of time off over Christmas and then you're back into it."

Former Eaglehawk senior coach Luke Monaghan had Ilsley as his team manager throughout his tenure with the Borough.

"Gerard lives and breathes the footy club and will do anything he can to make the club function and survive,'' Monaghan said.

"When I was at the club he just made everyone's life easier. He'd do any of those jobs that needed doing.

"He's as one-eyed as you'd get and he absolutley loves the club. He's vocal from the sidelines and I'm sure umpires and opposition players know Gerard."

Ilsley has been involved as a team manager with every senior or reserves premiership the club has won since 1980.

He'd dearly love to add another senior flag this Saturday against Strathfieldsaye.

Ilsley said this year's Borough squad is one of the most complete teams he's seen at the club.

"This team has such an even spread,'' he said.

"We have a settled backline and Brenton Conforti gives us the flexibility to play him forward or back.

"The midfield group is kicking goals consistently.

"I'd love to see them win it. They've put in a lot of hard work this year. They deserve it."

52 years after taking on his first role with the Borough, would another senior flag make this year the right time for Ilsley to take a step back from the club?

"What else would I do, if I wasn't here?,'' he said.

"I love it here. I don't want to stop. I probably won't stop until I'm in a wooden box."