Affiliate Awards Winners

On Sunday 17th May, Volleyball Victoria proudly hosted the 2025 Affiliate Awards at the State Volleyball Centre. 

It was a wonderful opportunity to come together and recognise the outstanding individuals, schools, clubs and associations whose dedication continues to strengthen and grow our volleyball community across Victoria.

Congratulations to all recipients of the 2025 Volleyball Victoria Affiliate Awards. Your passion, dedication and contribution to our volleyball community continue to inspire athletes, coaches, volunteers and future generations across the state.

2025 Award Recipients

⭐️ Michael Dolan – Most Outstanding Teacher

Michael has spent 30+ years involved with volleyball as a school teacher demonstrating a comittment to developing students, embracing opportunities and promoting youth pathways. His passion and leadership for the sport shone through in 2025 as he led Maribyrnong College to winning the Volleyball Victoria Schools Cup Champion School. Under his guidance, elite volleyball habits, practices and pathways have been successfully integrated at Maribrynong Sports Academy  with an emphasis on discipline, teamwork, building resilience and balancing school and sporting commitments.  Multiple athletes have thrived in under his leadership and facilitation having progressed onto SSV, VV State, and National level representation.  

⭐️ Eltham High School – Most Outstanding School

Eltham High School have long been advocates of both beach and indoor volleyball, having established a comprehensive and well supported student pathways program over many decades, in most recent years under the guidance of Anthony Young. Students are welcomed into inclusive entry level programming that is delivered through a suite of training and playing pathways, curriculum and accreditations opportunities and organically linked to external clubs and pathways. The school consistently demonstrates strong levels of participation, fostering both athlete and personal development while consistently achieving high levels of successful at schools events.  In 2025 Eltham High School won 4 SSV divisions, Came 2nd in both the Beach & Indoor Volleyball Victoria Schools Cup Champion School awards, were represented by more than 20 students in State teams and 6 students gaining national team selection.  

⭐️Volley Friends United Melbourne – Most Outstanding Junior Program

Volley Friends United Melbourne (VFUM) continue to offer quality junior programs across the Melbourne metropolitan area, including the western suburbs. Core to these activities is the Altona Juniors Clinic which provides a welcoming, inclusive and development focused entry point into structured volleyball. The program is heavily subscribed and linked to future play pathways, resulting in growth in their Youth Victorian Volleyball League junior teams from 3 in 2024 to 7 teams in 2025.  Sustainable junior growth requires qualified leadership and structured environments in which VFUM values and invests in, building capacity across the association and workforce through mentoring and significant coach and referee development.  This has allowed the organisation to successfully collaborate and service an extended junior network including more than 16 schools & more than 400 student participants in their programs, as well as athlete and coaching presence within the Victorian representative programs at both AYVC and AJVC National level events. 

⭐️ Mikayla Underwood – Excellence in Coaching

Mikayla has demonstrated outstanding leadership and coaching commitment to athletes development at School, State and National level. In 2025, she experienced success at school level with the Eltham High School Senior Girls team winning the SSV Senior State Championship, and Open Girls Honours victory at the VV Schools Cup competition. Over several years Mikayla has also supported Victorian Youth State coaching programs and participated at Volleyball Australia National Performance and Development camps and competitions.

⭐️ Goulburn Valley Volleyball Association – Most Outstanding Association  

Goulburn Valley Volleyball Association (GVVA) was established in November 2024 and has grown rapidly from 12–14 players on one court, to more than 60 regular members, with an additional 100 temporary participants at 2025 events. In their first year, the association secured six state and local government foundational grants that supported equipment purchases, volunteer development, programming, court upgrades, and event delivery. GVVA successfully built strong partnerships with council, community, cultural, and commercial groups to improve access to volleyball and advocated for cost-effective court expansion. In a very short period of time the association delivered an innovative range of activities including training, social leagues, launching a tournament (which double in registration to 50+ teams, within 12 months), coaching and referee accreditation courses, VV Country Championships participation, and camps that have increased opportunities for volleyball across the region.

⭐️ Sharon Murray – Volunteer Achievement Award 

Sharon was a founding member of Goulburn Valley Volleyball Association and has played a key role in rapidly growing volleyball opportunities within the Shepparton region. Despite limited volleyball experience, she successfully brought together volunteers, secured more than six grants in 18 months, co-directed the rapidly expanding “Revival” tournament, and helped strengthen governance and membership systems. She has championed inclusive and community-focused initiatives, including women-only programs and multilingual tournament promotion to engage the region’s diverse multicultural community. Sharon also built strong relationships with council, community stakeholders, and Volleyball Victoria to advocate for improved volleyball access, strategic development, and collaborative regional programs.

⭐️ KC Chong – Service to Volleyball Award

KC has been a dedicated leader and volunteer with Monash University Volleyball Club for more than 35 years, contributing across governance, administration, program delivery, and player development. Beginning as a student participant in the club’s social volleyball program, KC went on to serve in numerous leadership roles including President, Treasurer, Program Manager, Coach, and High Performance Manager. She also co-managed the Melbourne Monash University Blues volleyball partnership between Monash and Melbourne universities for over a decade. She remains actively involved in club operations, continuing to support teams, competitions, stadium supervision, and mentoring players and committee members.

⭐️ Hornbill Sports Club – Service to Volleyball Award

Members of the Australian Chin Community-East Melbourne (ACC-EM) came together to create Hornbill Sports Club. Hornbill have promoted volleyball for more than 15 years as a way to strengthen social connection, inclusion, and overarching health and wellbeing outcomes for the Chin community in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Through partnerships with Maroondah Volleyball, they have created opportunities for youth, families, and new arrivals to participate in structured sport, build friendships, and reduce social isolation. The programs promote multicultural inclusion, intergenerational connection, youth leadership, and positive community engagement while helping address barriers faced by migrant communities. Current initiatives, including “Friendly Games” with local police, aim to build trust, strengthen community relationships, and foster a more connected and resilient local community through sport.