Amber Lilley: September for sport means finals, awards and increased volunteer hours

September means three things in the world of sport: finals, awards and hardworking volunteers clocking up the hours. Whether that’s junior parents rolling out the craft supplies for grand final banners, or dedicated supporters driving buses of seniors from small towns to big games, volunteers are what keeps us players on the field. They don’t get much of the glory, and it is rarely as glamorous as one might think — yet I’m hard pressed to find a helper who does it for the praise. These volunteers do it because they want to see their players find success, to be part of something bigger, and see others find joy in their clubroom, on their pitches and on their bus trips. My soccer club hosted its awards at the weekend. We crowned our best players and we celebrated wins, top-of-the-table results and juniors who will soon represent the State. But, the biggest applause was saved for our most-honoured awards. Our clubman and woman of the year, our junior clubperson of the season and our treasured values award. These go to people who work tirelessly to get our 420 juniors on the pitch every week, along with three senior teams and three masters sides. We run bingo, operate a canteen and a bar — and serve as the home of soccer in the region, one of the few pitches with lights for night games, all while gearing up to host the largest junior carnivals in all sports across the State. I was honoured this year to be named our clubwoman of the year. After being part of the Bunbury United family since I was a little girl, this was a total shock — I just spent the season doing what needed to be done. And while the thanks and the applause was lovely, it is not why we do it. The most special part is having my name alongside so many other women who inspire me to play, coach, captain and volunteer.