2024 Hostplus SANFL Volunteer of the Year Finalist – Jamie Morgan

By JORDAN ROUTLEY

What started as a few Auskick sessions for his five-year-old son has grown into a lifelong passion for Plympton Football Club president Jamie Morgan.

A humble and dedicated servant of his club, Morgan has done just about every job available in his 18 years at the Bulldogs, from president to coach and everything in between.

For Morgan, it is all about establishing an inclusive environment where everyone can feel part of the community.

“I love football, I love being part of the community and I love seeing people do their best, so I just want to create an environment where kids can thrive and feel a part of,” Morgan said.

Putting in countless hours of volunteer work over the years, Morgan is proud of the club’s results across all facets of the organisation over recent years.

“Establishing our women’s football program has been one of the best things we have done,” Morgan said.

”Our female program has close to 120 girls playing football across every age group and girls playing AFLW that have come through our system.

“Also seeing some of the boys and girls that we know from a young age making it to the highest level, which is not a result of me, but as a result of them being involved at the club.”

Perhaps Morgan’s biggest influence at the club has been his involvement in the junior program as Junior Football Director, achieving astounding success in recent years.

Plympton was named the SANFL Juniors Club of the Year in 2022 off the back of five junior premierships, while the club counts AFL players Alex Neal-Bullen, John Noble and Ashton Moir as past juniors.

“That was a great reward for a lot of years of effort and hard work and getting results was great,” Morgan said.

”It is really about making sure that we build a sustainable program and keep increasing participation for boys and girls.”

Morgan’s endless hard work at the club was recognised with selection as the City of Marion’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, which he remains humble about.

“That was great and really surprising, and I took a bit of credit for our club’s success, but it was just as much a team and collective club effort and very humbling to accept that on behalf of everyone and play my part in achieving that,” he said.

While remaining proud of the club’s past success, Morgan is equally as excited about what the future has in store, with several exciting projects on the horizon for the Bulldogs.

“We have a masterplan for a renovation on-site which we are trying to achieve with all levels of government which is really exciting,” Morgan said.

”And we are continuing to build on our Indigenous round we started a few years ago, with a focus on implementing a RAP (Reconciliation Action Plan) for our club.”

Jamie is one of seven finalists for the 2024 Hostplus SANFL Volunteer of the Year Award, with the winner to be announced at the annual SANFL Community Volunteers Awards Night at Adelaide Oval on Friday, 11 October.