Volunteers are the backbone and lifeline of every football, both within the Hills Football Association and around the world. Thus, throughout this year’s National Volunteer Week, which starts this coming Monday, the association is ensuring all the volunteers are recognised and celebrated for all the work and effort they put into every member club every week.
Volunteers in the Hills region come in various shapes and forms. From coaching on the sideline, to working in the canteen or uniform shop, grounds keeping or officiating the junior football games, volunteers are the lifeblood of clubs and ensure that everyone has the best chance to participate and belong to a community football club.
“Everyone here at Baulkham Hills is a volunteer, including myself,” Baulkham Hills President Tony Hughes said.
“My father always taught me, and my wife is very much the same. It’s about giving back to the community, and to me, that’s why we’re here.”
The journey and connection to the member clubs for a volunteer comes in many different forms and stories, with many volunteers starting as mums and dads watching their kids on a Saturday or Sunday before stepping up into roles that shape the activities and future of the clubs.
“My son joined Box Hill Rangers and played his junior football there. Being a smaller and newer club, a few of the other mums in my son’s team and I recognised that we could help and make a difference. So, we started to help out around the club, and it has now, many years later, led me to become the President of the club,” Box Hill Rangers President Lisa Macklin said.
Weeks such as National Volunteer Week are an important time for the association as it provides an opportunity to acknowledge those who dedicate their time and energy to improving our sport. Thus, throughout the next week, the association will select and promote as many nominated volunteers as possible across our platforms, ensuring well-deserved recognition is given to those making a difference.
The work and contribution volunteers make to ensuring every club throughout the region is a fun, welcoming and community-focused environment, is echoed by club presidents, Hills Football Association staff members, stakeholders, parents and the players.
“I really would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our volunteers, whether it’s the manager, the coach, the parents, who, you know, carpool, the kids, the person who picks up the canteen, the person who takes the gas bottles to change over, like every single one of them. Without them, we just wouldn’t be what we are and we’re just grateful for them,” Glenhaven FC President Emma Graham said.
Every club is always on the lookout for more volunteers, whether that’s in a large administrative role or simply helping out one weekend in the canteen. To find out how you can get involved at your local club, reach out to club officials or coaches to see how you can help make a difference and contribute to the work of countless other volunteers across the association.
