With both Maldon’s football and netball teams enjoying a bye last weekend, it offers a rare chance to look beyond the scoreboard and shine a light on the enormous amount of work that goes into getting teams onto the field each Saturday. Much of it is done quietly, without fuss, by volunteers whose names rarely appear in print.

The workload begins long before the first bounce of the season. Pre season training starts in November, with players returning after a two or three-month break. For the senior coach and club executive, however, there is no off season. Their summer is spent on the phone, meeting potential recruits, and navigating the delicate balance between attracting talent and staying within the league’s salary cap and the club’s financial reality.

These same people – coaches, assistants, committee members – juggle full time jobs and family life while committing to training nights and match days. Once the season begins, Tuesdays and Thursdays become non negotiable, with many also giving up additional nights for planning, preparation, and player support.

Thursday evenings bring one of the club’s most valued traditions: a low cost cooked meal for footballers and netballers. It’s a simple gesture that builds culture, but it relies on volunteers shopping, cooking, serving, and cleaning long after the players have gone home.

If the upcoming round is a home game, the workload intensifies. Supplies must be ordered for the canteen – a vital source of income. Change rooms need cleaning, often late on cold winter nights. The oval itself requires attention, with line marking taking hours depending on weather and wear.

By Saturday morning, the first game begins at 9am, meaning volunteers are often on site from 8am. From that moment, the day becomes a coordinated operation. Central, boundary, and goal umpires must be found – often parents or regular helpers. Timekeepers, water carriers, first aid staff, and team managers all play crucial roles, particularly the managers who handle the mountain of paperwork required each week.

The canteen crew fires up ovens early, preparing food for the steady stream of supporters. Gatekeepers stand for hours in all conditions. Last weekend’s bleak weather was a reminder of the toughness required – especially for the club goal umpire who stood in driving rain for the entire match.

Club trainers, responsible for taping, strapping, and injury management, are among the most indispensable volunteers. They attend most training sessions and every match day, equipped with the knowledge to treat everything from minor strains to potentially serious injuries.

For the senior coach – who, in Maldon’s case, is also a playing coach – match day is a juggling act. Preparing the team, preparing himself, and managing a combined senior and reserves list of more than 46 players means last minute changes are inevitable. A single injury or illness can trigger a chain of frantic phone calls.

While the games unfold, the canteen and bar remain busy hubs of activity. After the final siren, supporters drift into the clubrooms to dissect the day, but the work is far from over. As the lights go out and the doors are locked, someone always stays behind to ensure everything is secure.

And then comes the final, often unseen shift: cleaning the social rooms, change rooms, toilets, and collecting rubbish scattered around the ground. It is thankless work, but essential.

So next time you head to the football or netball, spare a thought for the people who make it all possible. A small gesture – picking up rubbish, offering an hour of help, or simply acknowledging a volunteer – goes a long way in supporting the heart of the club.

Maldon dive straight back into the action tomorrow, resuming their season with a tough road trip to Harcourt. After a much needed bye, the group will be desperate to show some fight following a rough stretch where they’ve copped a few heavy beatings. During that period, the side has relied on too few, and they’ll be hoping to produce a much needed, all in team effort across the ground.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 26 June 2026.