In round 10 of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, the AFL will again recognise the many thousands of volunteers who contribute to our game throughout the country.
Coinciding with National Volunteers Week, the round gives us the chance to acknowledge the countless hours of work our 120,000 volunteers provide for more than 1.5 million participants across 3416 NAB AFL Auskick centres, 2913 clubs and 237 community leagues.
While there are 33,721 accredited coaches, 15,000 accredited umpires and 6000 AFL School Ambassadors, we know there are so many others who attend committee meetings, keep time, strap ankles and cook the barbecues among many other thankless tasks.
Last year our participation grew by 10 per cent. The huge numbers of new female players and the continued expansion of the game to new Australians relies on your passion to make Australian Football a fun and inclusive game to play.
On behalf of the AFL, I would like to personally thank you for your continued commitment at club, league, school or NAB AFL Auskick level. Volunteers provide the base for all grassroots football to flourish. The game doesn’t grow without you.
Yours sincerely,
Gillon McLachlan