Why volunteers are the lifeblood of our game

Playing soccer

Taking place between Monday May 17 and Sunday May 23, National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteers. NVW recognises the significant contributions of over six million of them throughout the country, with over 600 million hours reportedly spent helping others each year.

Since 2014, Australia has seen a 20 per cent decline in the number of hours volunteers give – during COVID-19, two-thirds of volunteers stopped working. In this modern era of uncertainty where time is as important a commodity as it’s ever been, collaboration should be a priority amongst Australians. Particularly in how we adapt to the lives of volunteers and engage volunteers to continue their incredible output and contributions.

The last few years has seen Australia as a nation dealing with drought, devastating bushfires, floods and a global pandemic. Whilst many of us stayed home during the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers dedicated their efforts to delivering essential services, organising food packages and providing care, comfort and plenty more in support of Australians. Through crisis Australia persevered and this resilience was built off of the collective strength exhibited by our nation’s volunteers.

Many people in the last year saw their mental health take a significant hit, particularly in a year where isolation and loneliness were forced upon us, adding to financial stress, anxiety and fear. Volunteering can be a tool which facilitates not just a reconnection with others, but a reengagement with the world around us and the community spirit that drives our local competitions that are the building blocks for many of our sporting and social aspirations.

Those interested in contributing to football off the park would have benefitted by the experience of contributing to a local grassroots club where the reward is ensuring the game that we love is played week in, week out.

Truthfully, university students are best placed to gain authentic experience in a grassroots football environment, with roles on offer across the board in media, health, finance, legal and coaching capacities among many others. The manner in which obstacles are overcome in grassroots football is like nowhere else, and it is a substantial learning curve for those willing to give their time to the game.

In honour of NVW, Football Victoria, Football Queensland and Football NSW have all published articles this week which aim to put a spotlight on the tireless work of individual volunteers across clubs in their respective states. Each story reflects the positive impact of volunteers for Australian football – from Jasmine Hirst’s contributions towards growing the game for women and girls as Vice President of Darebin Falcons Women’s Sports Club, to Buderim Wanderers’ Brigitte DeCourcy being named as the April recipient of the Volunteer of the Month Award for her efforts that date as far back as the 1980s.

These stories stir a myriad of memories that one will undeniably have from playing football in their youth, whilst ensuring a newfound appreciation for the volunteers we’d encounter growing up who put their heart and soul into the clubs they loved.

Youth football

Football has seen a downturn of volunteers in the last year, with Football Queensland’s Chief Executive Officer Robert Cavallucci noting last month that “research by Volunteering Australia suggests that an estimated two in three volunteers stepped away from their roles in 2020 due in part to COVID-19 restrictions.” Obviously, this is wholeheartedly understandable, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching effects across Australian football.

Volunteers are an essential part of the Australian football family, with contributions being made to the everyday running of clubs and organisations right across the country at grassroots, semi-professional and professional levels of the sport. Campaigns such as Football Queensland’s Good2GiveBack initiative demonstrate a push towards recognition and respect of volunteers, those of whom were the reason why we have the memories of weekend football that we all do.

Saturday and Sunday league football harkens back to memories of being driven to games by your parents. Of sharing the responsibility of washing the team’s jerseys between each player. Of your parents – some louder than others – issuing you on through a haze of discombobulated moments of play and opportunities to win the second, third, fourth and fifth ball that deflected in between you, your teammates and the opposition.

And it was often these same parents who took on the role of coach, team manager, trainer, barbecue wrangler (or accompanying jostler) and canteen attendant. Volunteering and initiative are intrinsically tied in with the idea of community. The building of collaborative spirit, through a dedication to assuring one’s love for the game is fostered in the same way for their kids, is pivotal to developing the next generation of Australian footballers.

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The Club Development Conference highlights community football

Significant Sporting Events Program 2023-24

On Saturday, February 1st, over 200 attendees came together at Valentine Sports Park for the 2025 Football NSW Club Development Conference.

With registrations for the 2025 season still coming in, over 85 Football NSW clubs from both Sydney Metropolitan and regional areas gathered for a dynamic day of workshops, panels, and special guest speakers, celebrating community football.

Presented by Stephanie Brantz, the Conference included keynote addresses from Karen Jones, Acting CEO of Destination NSW and Chief Executive of the NSW Office of Sport, Dr. Catriona Rose of the Australian Sports Commission, and Matildas cap #167, Ellie Brush.

After the successful second edition of the conference, Trevor Huxley, Football NSW’s Program Manager for Club Development, expressed his excitement over the strong support from the community.

“The Club Development Conference is a fantastic opportunity to bring together all levels of the game to learn from one another, network and discuss best practice for grassroots football,” said Huxley via press release.

“It has been inspiring to see grassroots clubs across the state in attendance, illustrating a remarkable commitment to supporting their local communities. It’s vital that Football NSW continues to lead in this space, providing support to the volunteers and local administrators who are central to the ongoing growth of our game.”

Along with the keynote speakers, attendees were able to choose sessions tailored to their Club or role, covering topics such as safeguarding, volunteerism, marketing and data analysis, infrastructure and grant funding, player and spectator behaviour, women & girls’ football, diversity and inclusion, and grassroots coach education.

The Football NSW Club Development Conference serves as a pivotal platform for enhancing community football by Empowering Clubs, Facilitating Networking, Offering Targeted Education and Showcasing Leadership.

By focusing on these areas, the conference plays a crucial role in strengthening community football, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring the sport’s sustainable growth.

To gain further details and access Club resources, click here.

Nick Maikousis on Greek Herald Cup, reviving heritage, and South Melbourne’s future in the NST

South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic FC hosted the highly successful second edition of the Greek Herald Cup at Lakeside Stadium.

Thousands of fans poured through the gates to enjoy a vibrant celebration of heritage, culture, and football. With Greek music and food creating a festive atmosphere, the event showcased the rich traditions of both clubs.

The match itself didn’t disappoint, delivering an entertaining 2-1 victory for South Melbourne, highlighted by memorable goals and moments that capped off a fantastic day.

In this exclusive interview with Soccerscene, South Melbourne President Nick Maikousis shares his thoughts on the Greek Herald Cup, the revival of ethnic clubs in Australian football, and the immense potential of the upcoming National Second Tier (NST).

Maikousis reflects on the club’s heritage, the significance of iconic rivalries, and how South Melbourne is poised to thrive in this new era for Australian football.

Theo Athans

What is the origin of the Greek Herald Cup?

Nick Maikousis

It started last year and that was the first time the competition took place. We flew to Sydney for that game. It’s based on the fact that we started to develop a relationship with Sydney Olympic and in particular their President (Damon Hamlin) and CEO (Lawrie McKinna) over the discussions about the National Second Division.

The second division was announced as a standalone competition and we thought let’s get ahead of the game and lets show what two big clubs from Melbourne and Sydney can do and that’s basically how it all came about.

We spent so much time with Olympic and the other National Second Division clubs so we thought let’s get on the forefront of this and start the competition.

T.A.

In your eyes, how successful was the second edition of the Greek Herald Cup especially for the Melbourne Greek community?

N.M.

Yeah, it was certainly a success and given it’s really just a friendly so we can build it up as much as we like but we’re pretty delighted with the attendance.

It’s a difficult time, it’s a couple of weeks out from the season so whilst we really want to give it a good shot, we also don’t want to incur any injuries and as it turned out we had a couple of minor injuries which might affect us in the short term.

It allows us to go back to our roots, played a lot of Greek music on the day and doing things that we have not really done for decades now in terms of acknowledging our heritage.

Given that Football Australia and the various federations have relaxed their stance on ethnic names, it allows us to reach out to our past again. Both South and Olympic represent the same thing, we have different supporters, but we represent the same community so it’s a great opportunity to showcase our heritage.

T.A.

Thinking back to the NSL days, can the NST and NPL ever get back to the passion we saw back then? 

N.M.

I think there’s a couple of stages to the commencement of the competition. Do I think it can get to the heights of the NSL? Look South Melbourne was a powerhouse back then and after the Cup game we had a look at some old footage with the 1984 NSL championship legends as a reunion dinner.

We had a couple of past legends there, including Alan Davidson, who wouldn’t stop talking about the old supporter base, how big and passionate they were and how it lifted them during that time.

So I think during certain fixtures, for example South Melbourne/Preston, will fill Lakeside stadium.

Some of the other games between the Sydney clubs perhaps it won’t be quite as full but I still believe we forecasted around 3,000-4,000 people per game so if we can get to that sort of number I’ll be delighted in the early parts.

It’s a competition that we need to build and we don’t know what it’s going to look like in five years or ten years’ time with the inter relationship between the NST and the A-League. I don’t think anyone quite understands what it is going to look like yet but we all have our own idea on that.

Will it be as big as the old NSL? I doubt it. But certainly there will be some fixtures that will be significant and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted Melbourne Knights to come into the NST. Their history and the original derby in this town would have made it even better.

T.A.

Do you think the South Melbourne and Preston game last year was a showcase into what we could expect out of the NST and its atmosphere?

N.M.

The atmosphere was incredible but not only that, it was a cold Tuesday night out at Reservoir. If you put that fixture on a Friday or Saturday night at Lakeside Stadium, you’d be filling both grandstands easily and you could get up to 10,000 people there so there’s huge potential.

T.A.

Now with the NST, ethnic clubs are back in the mainstream, how important is that for Australian football considering its historical roots?

N.M.

I think what they had done to ban ethnic flags and names was going too far but now that they have relaxed their position in regards to that, it’s a very positive thing.

It allows us to do what we did in the Greek Herald Cup and that is to celebrate our culture proudly from time to time.

Certainly, South Melbourne has evolved over the years as well so let’s not kid ourselves. In my case there’s been four generations following South and two of those generations were born in Australia and we’re all South tragics. So whilst we acknowledge our heritage, we have also moved on past that.

Whilst we have a very big Greek community, its reducing a little bit to how it was and the fact that South is in the NPL, soon the NST, we’ve also got a lot of other clubs have suburban level who are sort of competing with us.

Back when South Melbourne was a powerhouse, you’d find that everyone still had their suburban clubs but I’d say 75% of the Greek suburban clubs also followed South Melbourne.

Unfortunately when South Melbourne dropped divisions outside of the NSL, all of a sudden, we became competitors and that’s never what we wanted. So the NST will help us significantly because people will follow their local clubs and now South Melbourne which is a great opportunity for the community and the club.

If you look at our juniors, the cultural diversity as well is extraordinary, so whilst we respect our heritage, it suggests we have moved on.

T.A.

The NST will bring something fresh because apart from the finals, there isn’t much to play for in NPL so how will that benefit the club?

N.M.

Look the positive thing about this year is that there will be plenty of healthy games like Heidelberg, Oakleigh, Melbourne Victory got promoted and of course Preston is in there as well.

They have replaced teams which didn’t have massive followings so I’m looking forward to quite a few games with great attendances. It’ll be a great season.

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