The GIANTS have celebrated and spotlighted the efforts of Celia Carroll, foundation member and one of the club’s greatest community advocates as the 2025 GIANTS Woman of the Year.

A pivotal part of the GIANTS supporter base, Celia has been a stalwart of the club and there for every significant moment throughout our history.

Sharing in the highs of first wins, milestone games and finals appearances, as well staying through to the last siren in low moments, Celia has been a dedicated pillar of the GIANTS club.

From the early days, bringing young draftees like Toby Greene and Stephen Coniglio home-cooked meals or mowing lawns for the first-year players, Celia, alongside husband Flav have been tireless in their commitment to building the club’s local support base and ensuring the family-like culture extended from HQ and off the field into the stands.

She was there at now captain Toby Greene’s first match in 2012 and will be there for his 250^th, in just a couple of weeks’ time.

Announced on Friday at Crown Sydney, Ms Carroll’s dedication to the GIANTS from the first bounce in 2012 was honoured with the award.

“I’m still coming down to reality, I don’t know whether it’s real or not,” Ms Carroll said upon receiving news of the commendation.

“I was just thinking, why me!”

As the club eyes breaking its membership record again in 2025, Ms Carroll’s efforts as an advocate for the GIANTS on the ground in Western Sydney played a significant role in her receiving the award.

“From first wins to grand final losses, to really getting to know the boys and their parents and families personally, it’s been an incredible journey,” Ms Carroll says.

Originally from Victoria and now living in Penrith, Celia and her family have long been ambassadors for the game on the ground in Western Sydney, so when the opportunity to be part of the foundations of a new club, she was eager to be a part of the fabric.

“I became a member day dot when the opportunity presented itself. I jumped on board and stayed on board,” Ms Carroll says.

“Now everything's orange. Everybody knows my favourite colour is orange.”

Ms Carroll, alongside husband Flav continually travel to GIANTS away games and are present for all their home matches, staying to the final siren – through sun, wind and snow.

“We’ve sat there in the snow. We won’t leave a game. I say to my husband ‘how can we not be there for these boys at the end,’” Ms Carroll says.

“Just turning up and showing up, that’s what family do.”

It’s the family-driven culture that’s kept Ms Carroll attached to the club for so many years, to the point where she’s felt like a “mum away from home” to many of the players.

“I think the club does a phenomenal job of engaging with the parents, it was always mums that really bought me in to the sanctum.

“I guess that's where the family thing comes in so thank you to all of the mums for loaning us your boys and giving us your boys.

“We promise we'll take care of them.”

The GIANTS Woman of the Year is an annual award presented to a female within the GIANTS family who lives the club’s values to engage, grow, challenge, and respect, and who has an impact on the club in a significant way.