Football Federation Australia acknowledges thousands of volunteers

Football Federation Australia (FFA) today encouraged all footballers to reach out and thank the thousands of volunteers in Australia this weekend, as National Volunteer Week comes to an end.

The week celebrates the six million Australians who volunteer their time across the country, and it is estimated more than two million spend their time helping with sport.

FFA Chief Executive David Gallop AM said the success of football at the grassroots is down to the dedication of a huge club network.

“Every week we see thousands of dedicated volunteers, committed administrators, and mums and dads around the country giving their time to ensure our boys and girls can enjoy playing the game.

“We acknowledge this year has been difficult for some of our volunteers with the new player registration system adding an additional layer of complexity and we thank you for your patience and support whilst we worked through these teething problems.

“Football has over 2,300 grassroots clubs throughout the nation. We are the most popular club-based participation sport in Australia by some way. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our game – the grassroots appeal of our game would not be what it is without their love for the beautiful game and dedication to their local club and community”, said Gallop.

Sport Australia Chief Executive Kate Palmer said: “Volunteers donate 158 million hours to sport a year, that’s the equivalent of almost 90,000 full-time jobs. Research has conservatively valued that contribution at $3 billion, but to me and the Australian sporting industry our volunteers are priceless – they are the backbone of the Australian sport industry.”