The 2022 Ararat Volunteer of the Year was presented to Shane Jenkins at the Australia Day Awards Ceremony on January 26.
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Mr Jenkins was recognised for his countless hours in 2021 spent as president of the Ararat and District Junior Football Association.
Cr Bob Sanders said Mr Jenkins had been a role model to the one hundred junior footballers in Ararat.
"Shane (Jenkins) is passionate about football and refuses to let junior players down," he said.
"Not only has he worked tirelessly off the field to keep the competition going, but he regularly joined in weekly training sessions, helping youngsters improve their skills.
"Our football clubs are the lifeblood of our rural towns and communities and it's people like Shane Jenkins that are the beating heart of community football."
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Mr Jenkins said it was a "big surprise" to win the award.
"I obviously didn't do it to get recognised," he said.
"The community rallied behind the association, and we were able to save the season.
"I had a vested interest obviously with my two boys playing so I wanted to do what was best for them as well."
Mr Jenkins said he plans on staying in the role for another two or three years.
"Hopefully we can have a really successful little competition," he said.
"The main aim now is to get our oval updated. That is the next challenge for us.
"We really want to get irrigation and drainage into the oval for next season."
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