The AFL is delighted to unveil the four finalists for the 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, with the winner to be announced during the broadcast at the W Awards on Monday 25 November.
The finalists are Darcy Vescio (Carlton), Madeleine Scanlon (Fremantle), Chloe Dalton (GWS GIANTS) and Bella Eddey (North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos).
It’s the first time the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award will be presented to both an AFL and AFLW player in the same year, following Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien, who received the honour at the 2024 Brownlow Medal.
The prestigious award will be presented to the AFLW player who has best demonstrated the values of late Melbourne champion and former Demons President, Jim Stynes. From their commitment to helping others and making a difference in the community, to the way they represent the game on and off the field, this award goes to the heart of the sport.
Proudly supported by Telstra and the Jim Stynes Foundation, the winner will receive $40,000 to be donated to the charity or community program of their choice.
Darcy Vescio has leveraged their platform as a professional athlete to be a powerful advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and for the promotion of the AFLW and women’s sports more broadly.
One of Vescio's most impactful contributions has been their openness to share publicly their experiences and challenges with their identity as a non-binary individual, helping foster a safe space for others to explore and express their identities, encouraging authenticity in an environment that can often feel exclusionary.
Vescio's advocacy extends beyond personal narrative to actively engaging in campaigns and initiatives aimed at raising awareness about LGBTQIA+ issues. This comes via their official ambassadorial role with ‘Wear it Purple Day’, active collaboration with Pride in Sport and local LGBTQIA+ community centres to organise events and facilitate educational workshops.
Vescio participates in charity matches, fundraising events, and merchandise sales that benefit LGBTQIA+ organisations. By lending their name and visibility as an AFLW player to these initiatives, Vescio helps maximise fundraising potential, drawing larger crowds and greater financial contributions.
Madeleine Scanlon has demonstrated significant community leadership through her involvement as a Sporting Mentor at Melaleuca Women’s Prison – a maximum-security remand and receival prison for adult women where up to 95 per cent of the prison population has experienced physical and sexual assault.
Since her first visit in September 2023, Scanlon has regularly attended the prison every four to six weeks running football clinics as a Sporting Mentor. Football not only teaches the participants football skills but more importantly allows them the opportunity to positively connect, remain active and experience team sport camaraderie they otherwise would not be exposed to.
Scanlon is also a regular volunteer surf instructor for Ocean Heroes, an organisation that provides the opportunity for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to participate in organised sport in a safe and inclusive environment. As part of this volunteer work, Scanlon participated in a 24-hour Swim for Ocean Heroes, raising $215,000 towards continued offerings of free and unique activities for neurodiverse communities around Australia to connect and flourish.
Chloe Dalton is deeply committed to elevating the profile of women in elite sports through her work with The Female Athlete Project.
Created by Dalton during the 2020 lockdown, The Female Athlete Project (TFAP) is a platform created to address the gender inequalities that exist within sports media, largely by spotlighting the stories and achievements of women in sport.
Through TFAP, Dalton has also supported Paralympics Australia through donations from TFAP’s ‘equal’ t-shirts, ahead of the Paris Paralympics.
As well as helping promote elite female athletes and showing young girls who they can aspire to be, Dalton made donations from sales of her book, ‘The A-Z of Who I Could Be’ to the Nova Peris Foundation, a not-for-profit that is committed to empowering First Nations people to achieve life excellence through opportunities to participate in sport, education and health.
Bella Eddey was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of eight, and was a regular patient at the Royal Children’s Hospital throughout her childhood as she battled with the chronic illness that causes a host of debilitating symptoms including abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
Eddey has fought to overcome her diagnosis and manage her condition whilst playing football at the highest level, which inspired her to become involved with the Good Friday Appeal as an official ambassador and inspire other children living with chronic illness.
She has participated in player visits to the Hospital through North Melbourne’s AFL and AFLW SuperClash games, which provide valuable messaging and fundraising opportunities for the Good Friday Appeal.
Post Good Friday, she has continued to engage with patients from the Royal Children’s Hospital by hosting them at the club’s Arden Street facilities. This included 11-year-old Imogen Mulgrew, who is undergoing a two-and-a-half-year treatment plan for leukemia, and seven-year-old Thomas West, who was born with a rare congenital condition of the oesophagus.
AFL Chief Executive, Andrew Dillon, commended all the players who were nominated by their clubs for the exceptional work they do in the community, especially the four finalists.
“We had a terrific number of applications for the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award among our AFLW players and I’d like to acknowledge all the nominees for the work they do in the community and the positive contributions they make through their charities and ambassador roles,” Dillon said.
“Among all the entrants there were four that stood out and I’d like to congratulate Darcy, Madeleine, Chloe and Bella for being named as the finalists for the 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.
“All four players have displayed great compassion, leadership and commitment in their volunteer work – all values that go to the heart of this award. We are very lucky to have them as role models within the AFLW and wider community.
“This year marks the first time we’ll present two awards in the same season after Reilly O’Brien was named the recipient at the Brownlow among the men’s finalists. It’s a wonderful result for the players’ charities who now have access to $80,000 in prize money, with each winner donating $40,000 each.”
Jim Stynes Foundation Chair Russel Howcroft said: “On behalf of the Jim Stynes Foundation, we would like to congratulate Darcy, Madeleine, Chloe and Bella on being named finalists of the 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.
“All four finalists have made such a positive contribution to the community this year. They are each deserving of this recognition, and have truly embodied what Jim stood for.
“We look forward to celebrating the winner next week, in what will mark an historic year for this special award.”
Nominations for the award are submitted from AFLW Clubs and the AFL Players' Association before the judging panel selects the finalists.
The 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award selection panel includes:
- (Chair) Trisha Squires – Head of AFL Queensland & International (non-voting member)
- Luke Darcy – Western Bulldogs Great (226 games), Director and media personality
- Andrew Dillon – AFL CEO
- Jude Donnelly – AFL, Executive Manager Government and Stakeholder Relations
- Sarah Fair – AFL Executive General Manager – People
- Don McLardy – CEO McLardy McShane Insurance & Financial Services
- Neil Mitchell – Melbourne Broadcaster
- Brett Murphy – AFLPA Representative
- Sam Stynes – Jim Stynes Foundation Founder
- Kim Williams – ABC Chair and Former AFL Commissioner
