Scott Flynn from the St Patrick’s Old Collegians Football Club in northern Tasmania is the national Community Football Volunteer of the Year, the top honour as part of the 2022 Toyota AFL National Volunteer Awards.
The annual awards recognise volunteers across Australia who have made outstanding contributions to community football. All NAB AFL Auskick centres, schools, community clubs and leagues in each state and territory were invited to participate, with more than 1000 nominations received nationally.
Currently secretary of St Patrick’s, Flynn has been involved in his beloved club for 36 years, since 1987 when he started playing. He has been honoured with numerous club awards, including life membership, and was an inaugural hall of fame inductee as well as having been recognised with 'club legend' status.
Perhaps his greatest contribution was holding the club together through difficult times in the 1990s. The club came perilously close to shutting down and it is widely acknowledged that Flynn almost single-handedly kept the club afloat.
Established in 1931, St Patrick's Old Collegians is now a thriving club competing in the Northern Tasmania Football Association, considered one of the strongest in the competition over the past 20 years. In 2022 the club tasted premiership success in senior men's division one.
Volunteers are vitally important in keeping the game at grassroots level going. Around 220,000 volunteers contribute to the game each year across community football, talent and other programs.
Flynn is one of nine national category winners and was deemed a worthy winner of the overall award having given more than three decades of service to his club and the game.
To acknowledge his achievement, Flynn is the recipient of a brand new Toyota Hilux, which he was presented with at the AFL’s Footy Festival outside the MCG, before he attends the 2022 Toyota AFL Grand Final alongside other national category winners as part of this year’s Toyota AFL National Volunteer Awards.
"It means a lot, especially with the amount of work over the years, it’s so exciting. I’m in shock, to be honest, it’s a great award,” Flynn said.
"I’ve enjoyed everything involved in the club, mainly the friendships along the way. In those 36 years imagine how many people I’ve met, including lifelong friends. I just really enjoy it.
“I’m driving an old 2002 Falcon wagon. I’ve never actually had a new car so I’m really looking forward to it, getting used to all the bells and whistles of a nice new Toyota.”
As part of the awards, winners were announced from each state and territory for each category, followed by national winners from each category, below:
Toyota AFL Community Football Volunteer - National Overall Winner
Scott Flynn – St Patrick’s Old Collegians FC, TAS
AFL Secondary School Teacher of the Year
Timothy Hunter – Denison College, Bathurst High Campus, NSW
Senior Community Coach of the Year
Ben Hyndes – Premier Division Women’s Coach, Wollongong Australian FC, NSW
AFL Diversity National Ambassador
Ross Savill – Junior Coach / Auskick Coordinator, USQ Cougars AFC, QLD
AFL Primary School Teacher of the Year
Laura Loucks – Tagai State College – Badu Island Campus, QLD
National Community Umpiring Service Award
Paul Jones – Umpire Coordinator, Maroochydore Roos Junior AFC, QLD
Junior Community Coach of the Year
Davin McMullen – U14 Boys Coach, Mooney Valley FC, VIC
NAB AFL Auskick Volunteer of the Year
Scott Smith – Newcomb Power FC, VIC
AFL Disability Inclusion Ambassador
Janine Gaskell – Joondalup Kinross JFC, WA
Each of these national category winners receives a ‘Grand Final Experience’ including tickets for them and a guest to the 2022 Toyota AFL Grand Final, as well as three nights accommodation. The nine national category winners also took part in the Toyota AFL Grand Final Parade in Melbourne on Friday.
