Under 8’s Coach Cameron Moore who has come straight from his role at Northparkes Mines to coach his side. Many coaches volunteer their time regularly and most coaches would volunteer a minimum of 5 hours a week.
The majority of volunteers who step up each week to help run junior sporting games are mostly parents who work fulltime, have families of their own, and on top of that still dedicate countless hours each week to coaching, team management, ground preparation, administration, fundraising, canteen duties and game-day operations.
When you add those hours up across a season, it’s a considerable commitment. For the Parkes Marist Junior Rugby League Club to have a successful home game, at least 5 volunteers are needed per team, Coach, Leaguesafe, Fao, Table and Ground control. These are compulsory volunteers legally required by NSWRL if these positions are not filled then kids can not take to the field. Over the course of the day across the whole operation it’s easy to add up to over 80 volunteers to get the day off the ground.
Tina Morrison, Treasurer for the Parkes Marist Junior Rugby League Club said “Unfortunately, it can be quite disheartening when calls for assistance go unanswered.
The reality is that junior rugby league, or that of any sporting club doesn’t just happen on its own—it relies entirely on volunteers.
“It’s also important for people to know that volunteering isn’t something they need to be intimidated by. All volunteer roles are fully supported, with clear processes in place and plenty of help available. We have a fantastic committee and group of volunteers who make volunteering enjoyable, rewarding and, at times, a lot of fun.
It’s also a great way to meet other parents and become part of the club community.
“Some parents put their hand up to help, and return week after week, year after year, simply because they enjoy being involved and seeing the enjoyment in the kids’ faces. We simply couldn’t do it without them and can never thank them enough for their dedication and commitment.”
Every sporting club recognises the sacrifices made by those volunteers, sponsors and community members who continue to step up year after year to ensure local kids have the opportunity to play.
“All we ask is for one parent per participant to give an hour of their time at a home game during the season weather it be helping set up, on canteen duty or packing up at the end of the day, if every parent with a player registered fulfilled this obligation then the impact it would have would be a great outcome for the club.”
“Without volunteers junior footy simply would not be possible- it’s not an organisation that cannot rely solely on committee members or Coaches to get the day off the ground we need parents of players to step up and assist at any opportunity they can,” said Tina.
For any one who wants to volunteer but doesn’t know what they can do to help they can chat to any of the committee members or contact the coach of their child’s team who can point them in the direction of where help is needed.