Prior to beginning meeting formalities President invited Members to take a moment to remember a devoted Rotarian, Rodney Smith who died on Tuesday 15 September. The Clubs’s tribute to Rodney is included elsewhere in this Bulletin.
After meal service, President Carol welcomed the day’s guest speaker Rob Auld, AFL Executive General Manager Game Development, who would later be introduced by past president Quin Scalzo. In recognition of the United Nations 2026 Day of Peace, Carol also welcomed Jessica Dudley, Head of Story Telling, Partnerships & Government Relations for Young Change Agents. Carol then invited Jessica to join her on the podium and tell the meeting about the Rotary Balwyn funded Peacebuilding, Youth Design Challenge for schools addressing the question: “What could make your school or community more peaceful? Pick a theme, design a real idea to create change, and enter into the national competition for a chance to receive seed funding and mentoring to take the idea further”. To learn more click this link.
Andrew Morrice on behalf of Rosemary Nixon then came to the podium to announce and congratulate winners of the 2026 Footy Tipping contest – 1st – John Peberdy, 2nd “boyweeks” and 3rd Reg Smith.
President Carol then remined members to get behind our riders in the Smith Family Around the Bay Bike ride by making a pledge of support.
She also highlighted that the presentation of the 2026 Vocational Service Award will be made to Tom Boyd, ex Western Bulldogs player for his off-field work and leadership as a mental health advocate in reducing in particular the stigma of men’s mental health.
President Carol then handed the meeting over to Chair of the Day, Past President Quin Scalzo to introduce our Guest speaker, Rob Auld Executive General Manager, Game Development, AFL address the AFL Grand Final luncheon on the topic: 'Every Story Starts Here – Community Football Link to Elite'
His central message was that community participation underpins the long-term health of the entire AFL industry. Players, coaches, umpires and volunteers build strong local football communities; participants become supporters and club members; and community football provides the pathway from which future AFL and AFLW players emerge. Revenue generated by the elite competitions can, in turn, be reinvested in grassroots football.
The AFL’s ambition is encapsulated in the idea of “Footy in Every Home” — not necessarily that everyone plays competitively, but that every household and community can feel some connection with the game, whether through playing, coaching, volunteering, following a team or simply having a kick in the park. Its broader vision is to make football “the most played, most loved sport in Australia.”
Auld highlighted substantial recent investment in schools, community clubs, coaching, umpiring and facilities, alongside a deliberate effort to broaden participation among women and girls, culturally diverse communities and First Nations Australians. Since 2022, participation by women and girls has grown by 46%, while the AFL has also invested heavily in emerging football markets including Greater Sydney and Tasmania. More than one million students have now been reached through school programs.
The results are beginning to show. Community participation grew from 526,000 in 2023 to 625,000 in 2025 — growth of about 9% a year, compared with around 2% annually in the decade before COVID. In 2025, women and girls represented 23% of participants, 19% had at least one parent born overseas and 7% were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
But much of Auld’s presentation was about the opportunity still ahead. The AFL has an ambition of reaching one million participants by 2033, and recognises that the next phase of growth cannot simply come from traditional football markets. It will require greater participation by girls and women, culturally diverse communities, continued expansion in Greater Sydney, and new, more flexible ways of playing the game.
Importantly, the strategy is not one-size-fits-all. Auld illustrated how different communities require different approaches: a rapidly growing and culturally diverse municipality such as Wyndham needs a different participation strategy from an established football heartland such as Boroondara.
His concluding picture of success was deliberately ambitious: equal participation by women and men, twice as many hours of football being played nationally, a football in the hands of every child under 12, greater representation of Chinese and Indian Australians at elite level, football in school curricula, and a game that remains affordable and accessible.
The underlying theme was clear: the future strength of the AFL will be determined not simply by what happens at the MCG on Grand Final Day, but by how successfully football continues to become a game in which an increasingly diverse Australia feels it belongs.
At the conclusion of Rob’s address, he was thanked in the usual way. Quin then reminded those present that our guest speaker next week will be Emeritus Professor Ian Harper AO, former Reserve Bank of Australia Director and Dean of the Melbourne Business School.
There is no recording of this meeting.
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