Every weekend, across Australia, thousands of people including coaches, players and volunteers come together on soccer fields, rain or shine. Some arrive before dawn to set up cones and goalposts, others stay back long after the final whistle to pack up, run the canteen, or sweep the clubrooms. It’s a familiar scene repeated in suburban parks and rural towns - a reminder that soccer, or football as it’s now commonly known in Australia, is more than a game. It’s a community.

Yet, for all the passion and commitment at the grassroots level, a long-standing challenge remains: how can the governing bodies of Australian football better support and recognise the contributions of community clubs? This question sits at the heart of Dr Donna Denyer’s PhD research, made possible through the Johnny Warren Football Foundation PhD Scholarship at the University of Sydney.

Few people understood the potential of soccer better than Johnny Warren. A champion for the game both on and off the field, Warren dedicated his life to football, from captaining the Socceroos in Australia’s first World Cup appearance in 1974, to working as a coach, media commentator, and advocate for the sport.

“John lived and breathed football,” says his nephew, Jamie Warren. “He was out there running coaching clinics, doing development work, and pushing for the game to be taken seriously. He worked much of his life in the media as well, preaching on behalf of the game. He wanted football to be a sport for all Australians, regardless of background.”

After retiring from playing, Johnny Warren became a fierce advocate for football’s growth in Australia, working on governance reforms and the establishment of a professional league. 

To honour his vision, the Johnny Warren Football Foundation has funded initiatives that support football at all levels. In recent years, it recognised a critical gap - the disconnect between grassroots football and the professional game - and sought to address it by funding Dr Denyer’s research.

For Dr Denyer, football is built from the ground up, and her research focuses on the vital role community clubs play in shaping the sport in Australia. Through several interviews, she explored how volunteers, coaches, and players contribute not just to football but to the social fabric of their communities.

One story that stood out to her was from a player in regional New South Wales.

“She told me she started playing football entirely by accident - her mum had mistakenly bought her football boots, thinking they were running shoes!” Dr Denyer recalls. “She mentioned it at a meeting for her son’s preschool P&C, and the other parents encouraged her to join a local football team since she already had the boots. She gave it a go, and while it took her a season to get comfortable, she fell in love with the game.”

That small moment of trying a new sport on a whim led to something bigger. She not only became a passionate player but also took on administrative roles within her club. Today, she is the club’s president. 

“She described football as part of her mental health care plan, something she truly missed during the pandemic when community sport was suspended. She works at a desk all day, but on football nights, she gets to exercise, connect with friends, and unwind. It’s not just about the game, it’s the social aspect too. Her team goes for dinner afterwards, or they gather around the club’s fire pits and BBQ.”

The story is one of many that highlights the deeper impact of football beyond the field.