A club that offers free registration and personalised playing kits to Under 6 players to get them started on their Rugby League journey, a Club President who drives the team bus on 720km round trips, and a First Nations veteran who has coached 20 Koori Knockout teams in the past 25 years are among the major award winners in the 2024 NSWRL Community Awards that acknowledge the vital contribution made to the game every season by more than 31,000 volunteers across the state.
Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags (Community Club of the Year), Brent Parsons (Volunteer of the Year – Riverina Region) and Brooke Roach (First Nations Volunteer of the Year) were among the 18 award winners who were honoured for donating their time as volunteers, officials, coaches and/or referees to ensure the NSWRL can run Community Football at more than 700 clubs across NSW.
The winners featured Community Club of the Year, NSWRL Coach of the Year (Male and Female), First Nations Volunteer of the Year, Inclusive Volunteer of the Year, Young Person of the Year, and 12 Regional Volunteers of the Year.
The NSWRL’s major community volunteer individual award, the Gordon Lowrie Volunteer of the Year, will be chosen from the list of Regional Volunteer winners before being announced at the Brad Fittler Medal at The Star on Monday 2 September.
The Gordon Lowrie Volunteer of the Year, Community Club of the Year, First Nations Volunteer of the Year and Young Person Volunteer of the Year are automatic inclusions for the NRL Community Awards, with the winners to be announced at a later date.
“Volunteers are vitally important for all community sports, and the 31,461 involved in Rugby League do a fantastic job every season to keep the game on the field,” NSWRL Head of Communications and Community Engagement, Dr Tracie Edmondson said.
“The NSWRL Community Awards provide us with an opportunity to thank them for the tireless work they do. There are countless stories of volunteers going and above and beyond their normal duties, including laundering gear, driving team buses or marking and watering grounds.
“I congratulate all our winners and thank all our volunteers across NSW for the work they do to ensure all our participants enjoy their Rugby League experience.”
The Community Club of the Year receives a $2000 Steeden voucher, the Coach of the Year both male and female receive a VIP experience at the NSWRL Grand Final Day at CommBank Stadium on Sunday 29 September, while all Regional Winners receive an invite to the Brad Fittler Medal, a NSW Blues Supporters Pack, and a plaque to acknowledge their achievement.
2024 NSWRL COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS
Community Rugby League Club of the Year: Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags
Community Coach of the Year (Male): Geoff Batten (Nambucca Heads Roosters)
Community Coach of the Year (Female): Judy-May Peni (Wentworthville United Magpies)
First Nations Volunteer of the Year (presented by KARI Foundation): Brooke Roach (Raymon Terrace Roosters)
Inclusive Volunteer of the Year (presented by What Ability): Liam Luff (NSW Wheelchair Rugby League)
Young Person Volunteer of the Year: Xavier Orchard (Macquarie Scorpions)
Volunteer of the Year Regional Winners
Broken Bay: Michelle Loader (Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags)
Central Sydney: Khalil Kouayder (Greenacre Tigers)
East Coast: Rodney Nugent (Lake Cathie Bonny Hills Raiders)
Macarthur: Kevin Bell (The Oaks Tigers)
Monaro: Greg Smith (Yass Magpies)
Newcastle and Maitland: Cherie Douglas (Cessnock Goannas)
Northern: Todd Mitchell (Moree Boars)
Riverina: Brent Parsons (Rankins Springs Dragons)
South Coast: Carl Middleton (Kiama Knights)
Southern Sydney: Andrew Gilchrist (Cronulla-Sutherland Referees Association)
Western: Sara McDonough (Coonabarabran Unicorns)
Western Sydney: Johny Sakr (Winston Hills Hawks)
2024 NSWRL COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS
NSWRL Community Rugby League Club of the Year
Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags
Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags have been serving the local community for more than 50 years and offer free registration and a personalised playing kit to Under 6 players to get them started on their Rugby League journey. With 400 players and 80 volunteers, they are the district’s largest club fielding 24 teams from Under 6s to First Grade including Girls Tag and Female Tackle teams. The Stags also organised a club tour to Queensland for more than 200 participants to provide insight into Rugby League beyond their local community, and promote female representation in the sport. Nearly half of the committee members of the Stags are female including the President, who has served for four years.
NSWRL Community Coach of the Year (Male)
Geoff Batten (Nambucca Heads Roosters) – Batten has been a coach in the East Coast Region for 20 years and wears many hats for his club, Nambucca Heads Roosters. He holds a range of coaching positions including, coach of the North Coast Bulldogs in the SLE Andrew Johns Cup (Under 16s Boys). He has also embraced the RISE program, which introduces young players to the regime of a Rugby League player, and been a driving force for the Player Development Framework.
NSWRL Community Coach of the Year (Female)
Judy-May Peni (Wentworthville United Magpies) – Peni has been involved with Wentworthville United for three years and is passionate about Women’s Rugby League. She paid for a photographer out of her own pocket to create game day content for the club’s social media platforms which led to 48 women wanting to join the Women’s Open Age team in 2024. She has also assisted coaching the Penrith Panthers team in the Tarsha Gale Cup (Under 19s Women) as well as arriving at games early to help junior teams.
NSWRL First Nations Volunteer of the Year
Brooke Roach (Raymond Terrace Roosters) – Roach is the vice-president of Raymond Terrace Magpies having recently stepped down from the role as President which he held for many years. He has been involved with First Nations for more than 25 years and has coached 20 Koori Knockout teams during this time. He is still an active player at 45 in the Men’s Open Age C Grade competition, coaches the Women’s Tackle Team, and has coached the Girls Under 17s and Under 15s teams for the past five years where he has claimed two premierships. He also acts as an assistant coach for the Newcastle Knights in the Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s) and is a strong and respected First Nations leader within the Port Stephens community.
NSWRL Inclusive Volunteer of the Year
Liam Luff (NSW Wheelchair Rugby League) – Luff is an accomplished Wheelchair Rugby League athlete having represented the Australian Wheelaroos and NSW. He is also a two-time premiership winner and was named NSW Wheelchair Rugby League Player of the Year in 2023. He juggles his playing commitments with promoting the sport and has helped drive growth in the Sutherland/Cronulla region. He also coaches the Cronulla Sharks in the NSW Wheelchair Rugby League competition and volunteers at community events.
NSWRL Young Person of the Year
Xavier Orchard (Macquarie Scorpions) – Orchard is captain of the Macquarie Scorpions Under 15s team and leads the warm-up at training sessions for the team. He also referees Junior Rugby League games where possible and volunteers as an Under 7s assistant coach. He is highly-valued by the club committee because of the respect he shows for his peers and the club and its history, as well as his dedication in giving back and encouraging his teammates to also do so to other areas of the game.
NSWRL Volunteer of the Year Regional Winners
Broken Bay
Michelle Loader (Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags) – Loader had no experience in Rugby League after relocating from England to Australia a decade ago but is now regarded as a ‘powerhouse’ at her club, Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook Stags. She wears many hats including Club Registrar, Female Tackle Coordinator, A Grade Coordinator and Manager, Ground Manager and Under 15s Manager. Her dedication to the club includes laundering all the gear for the female tackle and A Grade teams and laying it out immaculately in the changerooms for every game. Her involvement with North Sydney Bears in the Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s) and the Stags’ three female tackle teams has assisted with their success and growth.
Central Sydney
Khalil Kouayder (Greenacre Tigers) – Kouayder, or ‘Killa’ as he is affectionately known, has been involved with Rugby League for 12 years and took over as secretary of Greenacre Tigers in 2016. He leads by example and is at the ground for training, as well as games on Wednesday and Friday nights, and Saturday and Sunday. He acts as a trainer for the A Grade team on away games to ensure the players are well behaved, and for home games fills the role of Ground Manager or First Aid Officer. He is a role model in the Muslim community, instils core values of good sportsmanship, respect and representing Greenacre with pride, and does so with good humour which visiting teams appreciate.
East Coast
Rodney Nugent (Lake Cathie Bonny Hills Raiders) – Nugent has been a volunteer at the Lake Cathie Bonny Hills Raiders for 11 years and holds roles as a Trainer and Canteen Coordinator. He is a trainer for the North Coast Bulldogs in the SLE Andrew Johns Cup (Under 16s), SLE Laurie Daley Cup (Under 18s) and Women’s Open Age teams, the Group 3 Junior Rugby League Academies, as well as the Life Fit coach for the RISE program. He has also established a Sport Trainer Facebook page to help educate other trainers and First Aid Officers in the region.
Macarthur
Kevin Bell (The Oaks Tigers) – Bell is President of The Oaks Tigers and has been involved with the club for 20 years. He was formerly President of the Junior Club from 2010-2015 before taking on the role at the Senior Club. During his tenure as President, he helped the club secure a $5.2 million grant to build a new facility at the ground which also benefits other community groups. He drove a domestic violence campaign at the club, ‘Our Club says NO to DV’, helped grow the number of teams from two in Men’s Open Age to four between six different grades, and transformed their reputation as cellar dwellers with the Reserve Grade team claiming its first premiership in 38 years last year.
Monaro
Greg Smith (Yass Magpies) – Smith has been the President of the Yass Magpies Rugby League Club for more than a decade and is a Life Member of both the Junior and Senior Clubs. He holds positions as Team Manager for both the First and Reserve Grade Teams, is Coach of the Harden-Boorowa Under 15s Girls, Assistant Coach of League Tag Under 14s, and RISE Coach. He makes 130km round trip from his home to Harden every week to train the Under 15s Girls and has been pivotal of the growth of Women’s Rugby League in the Monaro and Riverina regions.
Newcastle and Maitland
Cherie Douglas (Cessnock Goannas) – Douglas has been described as the engine room of the Cessnock Goannas after holding down a number of roles including Registrar, Social Media Coordinator, Sponsorship Coordinator and Merchandise Coordinator. She is credited with turning around the Goannas finances, attracting sponsors, and assisting retention from junior to senior football. She has helped the club host matches for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup, SLE Laurie Daley Cup (Under 18s) and SLE Andrew Johns Cup (Under 16s) at Cessnock Sportsground, and even turns up the day after to clean the ground and scrub the sheds.
Northern
Todd Mitchell (Moree Boars) – Mitchell is President of the Moree Boars but covers a range of other roles including Secretary, Registrar, Ground Manager and Trainer. He created a Western Rugby League Knock-Out to unify the community which saw more than 30 Men’s and Women’s teams come together to participate in a safe and healthy environment which was alcohol and smoking-free. He regularly drives players to representative trials and fixtures so they are not left out of pocket, provides funding for medical services for players for training and game days, and helps players find employment through businesses in Moree.
Riverina
Brent Parsons (Rankins Springs Dragons) – Parsons has had a long association with the Rankins Spring Dragons in the Riverina Region with his father being a former President of the Club. He started as a ball boy and when the club folded in 2006 was there to step in as President when it started up again in 2017. He played a pivotal role helping the club get back on the field by purchasing all new gear, watering the oval to get it back to a playing standard, and finding people to fix up the ground facilities. He has also volunteered as a touch judge, scoring official, Ground Manager and League Safe Trainer, organised upgrades for the canteen, lights, oval and dressing sheds, and even driven the team bus to and from away games including the 720km round trip to Ivanhoe.
South Coast
Carl Middleton (Kiama Knights) – Middleton has been President of the Kiama Knights Junior Rugby League since 2018 and also holds positions as vice-president of the Junior Rugby League, Coach, Trainer and Committee Member. He has been instrumental in a number of initiatives to ensure the club is now of the leaders in Group 7, with the Knights going from 178 registered players in 2018 to 496 in 2024. He engages with local Disability Service Providers to enable their participants to assist on game days, drives strategies for female participation and engages with community stakeholders for the club and its members to be involved in numerous activities including ANZAC Day ceremonies.
Southern Sydney
Andrew Gilchrist (Cronulla-Sutherland Referees Association) – Gilchrist is a Board Member for the Cronulla-Sutherland Referees Association but is also their Director of Member Services, a gear steward and sponsorship manager. He runs social events, fundraisers, training sessions and also reviews referees’ performances. At age 31, he has already been awarded Life Membership of the Cronulla-Sutherland Referees Association.
Western
Sara McDonough (Coonabarabran Unicorns) – McDonough hold positions as both the Treasurer and Under 6s Coach for the Coonabarabran Junior Rugby League Club. As the Under 6s Coach she organises and runs League Tag games every Tuesday and her contributions have helped increase participation. She focuses on building their confidence and enthusiasm for the game, encourages teamwork and creates a community environment inclusive of parents. As Treasurer, she has ensured the club has the necessary resources for equipment, facilities and activities.
Western Sydney
Johny Sakr (Winston Hills Hawks) – Sakr is the President of Winston Hills Hawks but also holds roles as a coach and a trainer at the club. He is a firm advocate of Women’s Rugby League and holds an annual Women in League Round/breakfast at the club to acknowledge the contribution of all female players, parents, relatives and friends. He has also been a driving force in ensuring the success of Sunday Rugby League for Parramatta Junior Rugby League.
