Awards
Highlighting the best in Australian Football, the 2023 AFL Volunteer Awards crowned Carissa Embling as the standout. Dive into this year's stories and discover the legacy of the AFL Merit Awards, a tradition since 1955.
Growth & Retention
Recruit, Retain and transition players
Recruiting, retention and transitioning participants is essential to any club’s success.
To assist you, please visit the links below to ensure your Club is supported in these areas:
Grants and Government vouchers
Here you will find all the information you need to help your club secure funds and apply for grants available:
Recruiting and retaining volunteers
No club can survive without volunteers, so recruiting and retaining them is vital to your club’s success. A simple way to keep volunteers feeling good is to recognise their efforts regularly, and never underestimate the power of a “thank you”.
Those who feel valued report having a more positive AFL experience and are likely to stay longer. Don’t forget — volunteers are your club’s unofficial spokespeople, so it’s important to ensure they only have good things to say!
You will help your volunteers enjoy their experience by understanding what they want to get out of the role and then by helping them achieve this.
Some may be interested in volunteering to meet new people. Some to simply give back. Some may want to help their job prospects. Some would volunteer if they received a direct benefit (e.g. $x discount on fees).
This is a key task for the recommended Volunteer Coordinator role.
Footy clubs spend a lot of time talking about and celebrating the efforts of players. Clubs that regularly celebrate their volunteers, through things like public displays of recognition in front of the players, go a long way to recognising & retaining volunteers and creating a club with a great culture – which often leads to on-field success.
There are so many things that a club can do that either take little or no financial investment. Consider things like:
- Have a Volunteer of the week / month / year award where you profile & thank a volunteer through your various platforms (website, noticeboard, social media, local media, team selection dinners, club events etc.)
- Have a whole of club volunteer appreciation week where the volunteer roles are mostly filled by players. Volunteers enjoy VIP treatment for the whole week without having to lift a finger and are thanked by team captains. Volunteers could walk through a player guard of honour. Perhaps align this timing with National Volunteers Week held annually during May
- Have a surprise gift or event just for volunteers (simple things like a canteen voucher or even a post-season thankyou BBQ are a nice touch)
- Nominate volunteers for any local, state or national award & celebrate any finalists / winner. This includes the AFL National Awards
- Include volunteers within hall of fame / life membership awards
- Provide an end of season thank you email / letter from the Club President. The Committee should do one for the President.
Check out more tips on how to attract, retain & reward your invaluable people.
Clubs are encouraged to award volunteers recognition at the end of each season for their contribution to the footy community.