Sport
13 February, 2025
Lack of volunteers leaves future of Stawell's junior football unclear
The Stawell 13 and Under Football Association future in doubt.
The Stawell 13 and Under Football Association is facing a volunteer shortage and is calling for help to ensure its competition can run in 2025.
This comes after only four people attended the association's annual general meeting on Monday, February 10, with not enough hands to take on the necessary roles.
Andrew Dunn served as president during the 2024 season and said the roles of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer need to be filled for 2025.
"The volunteers is a big thing. You get a few that are happy to put their hand up and help out, but no one will actually take on the executive roles," Mr Dunn said.
"We've been lucky enough to keep the those positions [in recent years], and probably lacked general committee members."
The future of under-13s football remains unclear, as the association hopes more volunteers will step forward within two weeks of the February 10 meeting.
This stems from volunteers moving on as children age out of the association according to Mr Dunn.
"This year [the people that have filled the roles] have their kids moving on. I didn't have any kids playing last year when I did it," he said.
"You want to move on and help your kids [to where they go next]."
The association has on average about 80 young footballers lace up their boots each season.
"It has been really good development for younger kids, because we have coaches that are on the ground directing them where to play, what positions, how to play their positions," Mr Dunn said.
"Just to come out of Auskick and to be developed a heap better than jumping up into the under-14s
"There's probably 20 or 30 kids out of that that probably mightn't play footy anymore if they don't have that Friday.