2025 SANFL Volunteer of the Year Award nominee – Gary Scott

22 October 2025

By ALEXANDRA BULL

When the Golden Grove Football Club is thriving on the weekend, you can usually find Gary Scott at the centre of it.

Gary first found himself at the Kookaburras 11 years ago, when his son started playing U8s for the club.

“I am one of those people who always likes to help where I can; I understand that clubs are run by volunteers and are always looking for people to help,” Gary said.

He quickly transitioned to the Junior Committee before assuming the role of Junior Football Director, which encompasses everything Junior related at the Golden Grove Football Club.

Gary’s contribution to Golden Grove cannot be matched – his tireless efforts serve over 550 junior footballers, which includes more than 550 families, 32 teams, more than 100 coaches, team managers, and team officials.

Golden Grove is one of the biggest clubs in South Australia, and the role Gary plays in the success and constant growth is something to behold.

In 2025, Gary had a strategic focus on Auskick, stepping up to coordinate Auskick, moving the program to start in Term 1 to capitalise on the transition to Under 7s and Under 8s.

“As the Junior Football Director, the most rewarding thing is watching the growth of the juniors, both as players and as people,” Gary added.

A usual football weekend during the season sees Gary the first to arrive at the club, and one of the last to leave.

Whether it be opening up the canteen, unlocking the changerooms, time keeping – Gary does it all.

“Our club is run by volunteers. From the canteen on the weekend, to the team managers, coaches, boundary umpires and many others that are all volunteers,” Gary said.

“All of our committee remembers are volunteers, and to put it simply, our club would not exist without our volunteers.

“A report from PlayHQ showed Golden Grove has 141 volunteers registered – this is just a small sample of our volunteers but shows how many we have.

“I am simply the conduit that brings it all together, so I feel the nomination is for everyone that volunteers, not just at our club but all clubs.”

Gary is one of eight finalists for the 2025 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, 31 October.