Volunteers are the backbone of community clubs across Australia, with around 100,000 volunteers involved in local footy in Victoria alone.
AFL Victoria and WorkSafe Victoria will continue to recognise nominees throughout Season 2023, with all country club volunteers recognised for the WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country Volunteer of the Year award also in the running for the Victorian and Australia-wide prize as part of the Toyota AFL National Volunteer Awards, which were launched this week.
The annual national awards recognise volunteers across Australia who have made outstanding contributions to community football. All NAB AFL Auskick centres, schools, community clubs and leagues in each state and territory are invited to participate, with more than 1000 nominations received nationally in 2022.
To nominate your club’s star volunteer, CLICK HERE
HELP get your community footy club off to a flyer this season by raising funds with the 2023 Toyota Good For Footy Raffle.
There's a $250,000 prize pool on offer again this year, with 35 prizes including three Toyota vehicles: a Toyota Kluger Hybrid, Toyota Corolla Cross and Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid. Tickets are just $5
In 2022, the raffle helped 629 clubs raise a combined total of more than $1 million, taking the amount raised for grassroots clubs across the eight years of the Toyota Good For Footy Raffle to more than $9 million.
The launch of the 2023 raffle coincides with the 2023 Toyota Good For Footy Round in round seven of the Toyota AFL Premiership season.
Several AFL stars will visit local clubs to give them a boost for the footy season, including
Brodie Smith and Rory Laird (Henley Sharks FC, SA), Toby Greene (St George Dragons, NSW), Alex Pearce (Kingsley Junior FC, WA) and Jack Sinclair (Kew Comets FC, Vic). These clubs will also receive a $2000 donation from Toyota and 10 tickets to an AFL match during Good for Footy Round.
The best part? Fundraising is free and easy! 100 per cent of the raffle proceeds go to the clubs. It costs nothing for your club to get involved, and a range of promotional material is available to help boost your ticket sales.
The 2023 Toyota Good For Footy Raffle will run until September 18 this year, with the raffle drawn on September 22 and the winners notified by September 27.
Clubs have used funds from the raffle to buy new equipment and guernseys, hire coaching staff and even upgrade their facilities and grounds.
Tens of thousands of kids are set to take to footy fields across Victoria as NAB AFL Auskick centres get going for the 2023 season.
More than 40,000 boys and girls aged between 5-12 were involved in NAB AFL Auskick in Victoria last year and those numbers are expected to be even bigger in 2023.
With school holidays over and the new school term underway, more than 600 Auskick centres will welcome kids back in Victoria this weekend.
Auskick is the best way to introduce kids to the game of Australian rules football. It’s all about fun, getting hands on the ball and constantly being involved in exciting activities.
No AFL experience? No worries! Auskick offers an inclusive environment for everyone aged 5 – 12 at any skill level to play.
It’s not too late to register! Visit play.afl/auskick to find a centre near you and sign up your child.
The Geelong Cats and AFL Barwon have today announced a new strategic partnership which will see both organisations collaborate to deliver outcomes that respect the past, enhance the present and maximise the future of football in the Barwon region.
The partnership presents immense opportunity for the Cats and AFL Barwon to collaborate strategically to support all levels of football within the region. This partnership will provide a unified approach to assist the development and sustainability of community football in the Barwon region.
AFL Barwon Regional General Manager Ed Wilson said, "The opportunity to partner with an AFL club to collectively support the development and sustainability of community football is a strategic advantage for AFL Barwon, our clubs and all stakeholders - something which is unique to our region.
"We are extremely grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment that the Geelong Cats have shown to AFL Barwon in the development of this partnership, and we’re humbled by the potential this collaboration can deliver to all within our community.”
The Geelong and AFL Barwon partnership provides a unique opportunity for the organisations to work together and maximise the potential of football in the region, particularly in the areas of community engagement, participation, membership growth and regional sustainability.
Geelong Chief Executive Officer, Steve Hocking said, “While Geelong has been working closely behind the scenes in various areas with AFL Barwon for a number of years, we see this phase as an opportunity to elevate the partnership to new levels, bringing significant benefits and memorable impact to both organisations, and in turn its players, coaches, club members, volunteers and participants at all levels of football throughout the region.”
There are 17 Cats AFL players including Tom Stewart, Patrick Dangerfield, Gryan Miers and Tom Atkins plus women’s players Renee Garing and Darcy Moloney who began their football journey at AFL Barwon and are now making an impact at the Cats.
We are thrilled to announce that Read the Play (RTP) has formally signed on as a community partner of AFL Barwon until 2025, marking 2023 the 17th year of our partnership.
Over the years, our partnership has allowed RTP to positively impact the community through our shared values of promoting mental health and wellbeing, particularly in the sporting arena. We believe that sport plays a vital role in fostering social connections, building resilience, and promoting positive mental health outcomes. Mental health is a team sport which is where sporting clubs provide a wonderful opportunity to support club members.
To celebrate this milestone partnership, RTP is excited to launch a new initiative for 2023, called #rtpsolemates. As part of this initiative, RTP will be selling special edition socks for community football and netball games, with the aim of selling 5000 pairs amongst the AFL Barwon clubs. The proceeds from the sale of these socks will go towards supporting mental health programs within the local community.
We are confident that this initiative will not only promote positive mental health outcomes but also bring the community together in support of a great cause. We encourage all AFL Barwon clubs to get involved and help us reach our target of selling 5000 pairs of #rtpsolemates socks.
Read the Play and AFL Barwon will also be recognizing clubs that make mental health a priority with the newly created Mental Health Club of the Year Award. This prestigious award will be presented at the end-of-season Community Awards event and will honour clubs that demonstrate a commitment to mental health initiatives. To be eligible for the award, clubs must be actively involved in programs that support the health and wellbeing of club members.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with Read the Play to continue to make a positive impact on the community through our shared values and initiatives.
AFL Barwon Region General Manager, Edward Wilson was quoted,
“AFL Barwon is extremely proud to share a long-term community partnership with Read the Play and the extension of this partnership, expands this valued partnership further”.
“The impact of Read the Play programs within AFL Barwon Clubs and the wider region are significant and align with our values, in providing our football and netball Clubs, as community hubs where those within their formative years, can grow and develop with support, as people”.
Read the Play Chair, Sarah Albon was quoted,
“AFL Barwon is one of our founding partners. Over the past 17 years we have worked hand in hand to deliver important mental health literacy programs to thousands of junior footballers and netballers”
“We are grateful for this partnership and look forward to growing our program to enable more young people to seek support for their mental health”.
To purchase your socks for the #rtpsolemates fundraiser, simply go to www.rtpsolemates.com.au
