Football Australia CEO Martin Kugeler visited Maroubra United this week to connect with parents, players, and local volunteers at the grassroots football community.
National Volunteer Week (18-24 May 2026) is a vital time to connect and recognise the incredible work of our volunteers who are the engine room of Australia's largest grassroots sport, across 1.9m participants and over 2,200 active club all over the country.
"Nights like tonight are why I took the job," Kugeler said, watching on at training for the club from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.
"Look at this, on a Wednesday evening, all the fields are pumping. Kids are here, parents are here. Community football is the foundation of the game, so it's great to see that growing.
"Grassroots football is growing, which is exciting. We have more than 1.9 million participants already, and we need infrastructure. We need infrastructure for girls in particular: change rooms and lights, so kids can train and practice in the evening."
Maroubra has over 150 volunteers for over 1600 players, including coaches, administrators, referees, and 'game leaders' from amongst the large group of juniors. They all help support the next generation of Australian football players and fans.
President Adam Lee spoke about how their volunteers contributed to the positive environment.
"We're pure grassroots and we're family first. Our objective is football for all, so we cater for everything - from u3s, all the way through 85-year-olds playing walking football here, and everything in between. My mother has been playing for the last 25 years - she's 70 this year and still playing over-30s football.
"Volunteers are incredibly important for us. We're completely volunteer run, myself all the way through to our game leaders,we all share our time. Without the volunteers here, there would be no Maroubra United. The club's been here since 1962 and people devoting their time to the club has been a big part of who we are and the culture we've built. "
Jayne Conquest , VP of girls' youth football at the club, explained why being a volunteer was so rewarding.
"I have three girls who have played with the club since they were eight years old," she said.
"They love it and they've made such great friendships through football at the club. My daughter, who is playing behind us at the moment, her main friends are from soccer rather than school with their similar interests. They'd be here every day if they could, and the cluballows them to train with other teams.
"This year I've stepped up as the coordinator of the youth girls teams, and that's been really good, with really supportive coaches that helped me along the way.
"Without the volunteers, we wouldn't have a club. We're very fortunate that a lot of parents coach their children's teams, and we also have a lot of players from the senior teams that volunteer their time to coach some of the junior teams as well. Everyone's happy to put their hand up and help out."
Maroubra is the junior club of several professional players, including CommBank Socceroo Alex Robertson. Without clubs like Maroubra fostering positive environments in the community, players like Robertson would not be produced.
"These are all hopefully up-and-coming Socceroos and Matildas, or supporters of our national teams," Kugeler said, of the group of juniors training behind him.
