Heart of the game: Meet 10 unsung heroes of South Australian community sports
From a stalwart keeping a rowing club on the water to a coach driving 200km to train up-and-coming swimmers, SA’s true sporting heroes are on the sidelines.
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When you think of sporting heroes, you often imagine famous athletes.
But the real heroes are often hard at work behind the scenes keeping community clubs alive and thriving for future generations of sport stars.
From a rowing coach keeping a regional club “on the water” to a club stalwart driving 200km to train up-and-coming swimmers, there are unsung heroes across all sporting codes.
Behind clubs spanning Port Lincoln to Mount Gambier and across the suburbs there are hardworking people who ensure the canteens are stocked, medical needs are met and migrants feel welcomed.
“If you join a community sports club, it’s not just about what you get, but what you can give back,” says Port Pirie’s Peter Munday, who has spent four decades volunteering.
And volunteer photographer Gordon Anderson, who has never missed a local football match, says “if you want to help, just start. Don’t wait to be asked, just say, ‘How can I help?’”.
These are the stories behind 10 unsung heroes behind South Australian sporting clubs.
Do you know a pillar of community sport we’ve missed? Email rahul.dhakan@news.com.au
Nick Swingler
Club: Sturt Football Club
Role: Head of medical services and head trainer
“I can’t imagine life without my club,” are the words of Nick Swingler, who has been part of Sturt Football Club for more than four decades – 43 years and six months to be exact.
But it was the head of medical services and head trainer’s quick thinking that saved the lives of midfielder Tom Lewis and former Sturt footballer Blake Kennedy.
Lewis injured his left shoulder during a 2022 match against Centrals and despite initially dismissing his abdominal and shoulder pain as “normal”, he mentioned it to Mr Swingler the next morning.
The medical veteran immediately identified the symptoms of a ruptured spleen and risk of internal bleeding, insisting he go for scans.
Doctors were amazed Lewis was still standing.
“If Nick hadn’t figured it out, I might not be alive today,” he said.
Mr Swingler, 62, loves the role and thinks of himself as a first responder, focusing on swift and accurate management of injuries on match days and at training.
The former teacher said making life-changing decisions in emergency situations is the most rewarding part of the job.
“It’s satisfying when you get feedback from the emergency department doctor saying the decisions you made saved this player’s life,” he said.
“In a sporting sense, the first person a player sees with an injury is a sports trainer.”
Mr Swingler’s role extends far beyond the footy field. He organised players’ medical appointments, calls in favours to ensure players receive timely medical attention and does the paperwork so they can focus on playing their best.
For the Aldinga Beach man it’s “become a way of life” but he said the sports trainer role was often underrated outside the sports community.
“Community sport couldn’t operate without them, and there’s not enough of them,” he said.
Luckily for Sturt, Mr Swingler plans to stick around saying “I’d like to do it for 50 years”.
Mansoor Hashimi
Club: Afghan Cricket Club
Role: Founder and committee member
Mansoor Hashimi immigrated to Adelaide from Afghanistan where he found an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of migrants through sport.
A decade after settling in Ingle Farm, he founded the Afghan Cricket Club in 2017 to help empower and encourage the Afghan community.
It quickly became a central part of the community with more than a hundred people, from kids to seniors, pulling on the cricket whites.
“Being an international student once, I knew the struggles of fitting in,” Mr Hashimi said.
“We are using cricket as a bridge between the community members and us and connecting them to enter the South Australian community.”
After the fall of the Afghan Government in 2021, Mr Hashimi said the club became an even more vital community hub.
“We encouraged a lot of people who escaped Afghanistan during that fall to join our club,” he said.
“There are a lot of opportunities that our youngsters, our community members, missed in Afghanistan. They are not given those opportunities because of the wars or insecurity that we have. So if we have those facilities here, those opportunities here, why not take it?”
To break cultural barriers Mr Hashimi, 34, initiated a women’s team in 2020.
“It was a way of encouraging Afghan girls to participate in sport and play cricket or any kind of sport, as long as kind of making them have the confidence to come to the ground and play cricket,” he said.
Mr Hashimi has also worked alongside the South Australian Cricket Association to organise Adelaide Oval visits for refugees and free cricket uniforms to make them feel welcomed.
The club also offers youth empowerment programs, resume workshops and career advice.
He said the importance the club extended well beyond a 22-yard pitch.
“It’s also about helping our community with their mental health and wellbeing,” he said.
“It’s making connections for them, it creates networks. And through these connections, they are finding jobs, they are finding friends, they can feel like they’re part of this broader South Australian community.”
Jillian Raymond
Club: McLaren Vale Netball Club
Role: Secretary
Jillian Raymond’s work at McLaren Vale Netball Club goes far beyond the role of secretary.
For more than 20 years, she’s done everything from checking the canteen has ordered enough eggs, organising events and planning award ceremonies to umpiring games.
“I started because I wanted to help the club get better,” Ms Raymond said.
“I love to do it, this club has been a part of my life since I was a kid.”
Despite working full-time at d’Arenberg, Ms Raymond, 42, still finds time to be the club’s go-to person.
Over the years the Hope Forrest woman has also served as vice president and captain – and in 2012, her dedication was recognised when she became the club’s youngest life member.
Ms Raymond isn’t new to the sport, she’s been playing netball for more than 30 years and said her happiest memory was playing her 300th game and winning a grand final on the same day.
“It felt like a Disney movie,” she said.
For Ms Raymond, it’s not just about taking meeting notes, keeping score or writing grant applications for new equipment, she wants the club to be a place where everyone feels at home
“We want to make sure everyone feels like they belong here,” she said.
Peter Munday
Club: Port Pirie Rowing Club
Role: Coach and captain
Peter Munday is the “absolute engine of the club”, according to Port Pirie Rowing Club secretary William Othams.
“Peter’s countless unpublicised hours working on our boats to keep us on the water, that has been absolutely critical to our survival as a club,” Mr Othams said.
Mr Munday has been a pillar of the club for more than 40 years.
“I got into rowing in 1981 when my flatmate invited me to try it out,” he said.
“I enjoyed being on the water and the team spirit.”
The Port Pirie man liked it so much that he started coaching and became the club captain in 1983.
He hasn’t stopped since. Mr Munday has helped schoolboys win state titles and led a women’s crew to a division two title.
At 65, he can be found at the club almost every week, fixing things, coaching beginners or helping new rowers learn the ropes.
He even helped build a new clubhouse in 2003 – managing the project and working with the council and neighbouring yacht club.
Mr Munday said keeping a club going was hard work.
“If you join a community sports club, it’s not just about what you get, but what you can give back,” he said.
Gordon Anderson
Club: Glenelg Football Club
Role: Volunteer photographer
For more than two decades, a volunteer photographer has been capturing the highs and lows, the defeats and memorable victories for the Glenelg Football Club.
Gordon Anderson, 58, is a financial planner by day but a dedicated volunteer by night and weekend.
Each week, Mr Anderson puts in 12 hours at the club. He snaps photos at games, then goes home to sort them – and enjoys every minute.
“I love being part of this club and community,” Mr Anderson said.
“I love footy and taking photos. It’s a win-win for me.”
The best part for him? The people.
“We’re like a small family here. The players change, but the fans and helpers stay the same,” Mr Anderson said.
“I’ve made lifelong friends here. It is a sacrifice for the rewards 100 times more than the costs involved.”
One of the Somerton Park man’s most memorable moments was the club’s 2019 SANFL premiership win.
“I was right there taking pictures. Those are memories that will last for 50 years or 100 years,” he said.
And his advice for other aspiring volunteers is, “if you want to help, just start. Don’t wait to be asked, just say, ‘How can I help?’.”
Julie Moran
Club: Mount Gambier Swimming Club
Role: Head coach
Julie Moran travels 100km each way to coach the South East’s next generation of national swimmers.
When her daughters started classes, the Beachport mum joined the Mount Gambier Swimming Club.
Now, the committed head coach dedicates more than 10 hours a week training local swimmers and tackles a two hour round trip from her hometown.
“It’s just rewarding to help other people,” Ms Moran said.
“I love seeing kids achieve their goals. The smiles on their faces make it all worthwhile.
“It’s not just about sport. Volunteering at any level is about giving back to the community.”
Since Ms Moran, 51, joined, the club has grown from just seven members to more than 45, some of whom are competing at national level.
Meryl Davidson
Club: Port Lincoln Gymnastics Club
Role: Women’s Artistic Gymnastics co-ordinator and advanced silver coach
Taking her daughters to kindergym springboarded a 20-year involvement with an award-winning regional gymnastics club for Meryl Davidson.
She first stepped into Port Lincoln Gymnastics Club in 2002 – and four years later, she had earnt her coaching and judging accreditations.
“I took my kids to kindergym, and that’s how it all started,” Ms Davidson said.
It was Nadia Comaneci’s perfect ten at the 1976 Olympic Games that inspired Ms Davidson’s passion for the sport but she said it was the “big smiles on little faces” which kept her going.
Now, she’s the club’s volunteer women’s artistic gymnastics co-ordinator and advanced silver coach.
The Port Lincoln mum coaches and judges at local and state level, organises a competition judging rosters across SA and runs the club’s day-to-day administrative tasks.
“I just love the kids and love this sport. It’s all about helping them achieve their goals,” she said.
“It’s all about our community kids and keeping them healthy and fit.
“Kids start in gymnastics when they’re young, and they develop their bodies, minds, spirits, friendships.”
For her dedication, Ms Davidson was named Gymnastics South Australia Judge of the Year in 2022 and under her guidance, the club received the Country Club of the Year award in July.
Alex Mathewson
Club: Glenunga Cricket Club
Role: President
Each week, Alex Mathewson dedicates at least 14 hours to the Glenunga Cricket Club and even more in summer.
He’s the club president but wears countless hats.
The IT consultant by day does everything from sponsorship and apparel to social media and even photography – plus applying his day job skills to make the club’s operations more efficient.
“I would work behind the bar and take orders in our kitchen,” Mr Mathewson said.
The Enfield man, 40, said juggling club responsibilities with a full-time job and family wasn’t easy.
But said his efforts were all aimed at one goal: making the club better for everyone involved.
“We do it for the smiles on the faces of the juniors and senior players,” he said.
“You meet a lot of new people, gain new friends, and all I want is the club to succeed.”
Cassandra Neller
Club: Bridgewater Sports Social Club
Role: Secretary
Volunteering for the Bridgewater Sports Social Club keeps Cassandra Neller busy seven days a week.
On game days she can be found at the club from 7am to 7pm, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
“It’s long days but well worth seeing the kids play and grow,” Ms Neller said.
The Hahndorf mum has worn many hats from junior co-ordinator to committee secretary over the past decade.
Her time is devoted to organising events, carnivals and quiz nights but her involvement doesn’t stop when the games are over. She is constantly on call, co-ordinating team managers, coaches, and parents well after regular work hours.
When asked what her proudest moment was, Ms Neller, 48, said it was launching and then coaching the club’s inaugural under-14 girls’ football team.
The former Bridgewater Cricket Club under-10 coach and under-8 Matrics Netball Club coach and umpire said community sport was the heartbeat of society.
“We need more volunteers to keep community sports alive,” she said.
Matthew Bedgegood
Club: Enfield United Community Cricket Club
Role: Chairman
For Matthew Bedgegood, volunteering at the Enfield United Community Cricket Club is like having a second job.
He joined as a young player 21 years ago and since then he’s been vice president, chairman, captain and coach – all roles he’s held at least five times each.
In that time, the Enfield man, 40, has introduced a women’s program, installed new training nets, fixed up the grounds, and even upgraded the clubrooms.
“Three years ago, we started a junior program. That’s the biggest win for me,” Mr Bedgegood said.
“I love cricket, community cricket, and I want to help the club grow.
“Community sports clubs give people a sense of belonging, and It’s a break from everyday struggles.”
The Aboriginal engagement assistant said his work at the club takes time.
“It’s almost like a second job, I put in as many hours as my regular job,” he said.
“The club is almost 100 years old. I want to keep that history alive.”
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