Volunteers continue to be the lifeblood of Rugby League and now’s the opportunity to recognise them and thank them for all the tireless work they do for the game.
Just a week ahead of National Volunteer Week, the 2024 NSWRL Community Awards have officially opened to acknowledge the outstanding work that our 30,000 plus volunteers from almost 700 clubs across NSW have done for the Game for All.
“Volunteering is a challenge for sporting organisations across the country so it is an incredibly great endorsement of our game that our volunteer numbers continue to grow along with our record participation levels,” NSWRL Head of Communications and Community Engagement Dr Tracie Edmondson said.
“It goes without saying that without these 30,000 plus dedicated volunteers, community footy would struggle to exist for almost 113,000 participants.”
This year will include for the first time a NSWRL Young Person of the Year Award for persons aged 12-24 who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the NSWRL’s mission of using Rugby League to bring people together to enrich their lives.
Other awards include the ‘Gordon Lowrie’ Volunteer of the Year (and the 12 winners from each Region), Community Rugby League Club of the Year, ‘Dennis Braybrook’ Community Official of the Year, Community Coach of the Year (male and female), Inclusive Volunteer of the Year, and Indigenous Volunteer of the Year.
The ‘Gordon Lowrie’ Volunteer of the Year, which is chosen from the 12 winners of each region, will win prizes including a VIP experience at a NSWRL Major Competitions Grand Final and a State of Origin jersey, while the Club of the Year will win a $2000 Steeden voucher and a BBQ funded by the NSWRL. Finalists of the 2024 NSWRL Community Awards will be nominated for the equivalent of the 2024 NRL Community Awards, presented by Westpac.
The ‘Gordon Lowrie’ Volunteer of the Year will be announced at the prestigious Brad Fittler Medal. Previous winners of the award include Christopher Hollis (2023), who ensured First Nations and socially disadvantaged children had opportunities to play at Taree Red Rovers, Wendy Povey (2022), who held a range of roles from Treasurer to canteen supervisor at Morpeth Bulls, and Theresa Tasaico (2021), who worked tirelessly to re-establish Riverwood Legion JRLFC in the St George District.
All nominations will be considered and reviewed by a NSWRL selection panel and incomplete nominations will not be accepted.
To be eligible for any award, nominees:
- Must be registered in the current season
- Must hold the appropriate accreditation for their role
- Must have a current WWCC (if applicable)
- Must not have had a Code of Conduct breach in the past two years.
NSWRL Community Award categories
- ‘Gordon Lowrie’ Volunteer of the Year Award
- ‘Dennis Braybrook’ Community Official of the Year Award
- Community Coach of the Year (Female) Award
- Community Coach of the Year (Male) Award
- Inclusive Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by What Ability
- Indigenous Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by KARI Foundation
- Community Rugby League Club of the Year Award
- Young Person of the Year Award
- Broken Bay Region Volunteer of the Year
- Central Sydney Region Volunteer of the Year
- East Coast Region Volunteer of the Year
- Macarthur Region Volunteer of the Year
- Monaro Region Volunteer of the Year
- Newcastle and Maitland Region Volunteer of the Year
- Northern Region Volunteer of the Year
- Riverina Region Volunteer of the Year
- South Coast Region Volunteer of the Year
- Southern Sydney Region Volunteer of the Year
- Western NSW Region Volunteer of the Year
- Western Sydney Region Volunteer of the Year
Click here to vote. Voting closes on Sunday 2 June.
