VALE – Dawn Gilligan

Football NSW was saddened to the news of the passing of the matriarch of Futsal in Australia, Dawn Gilligan.

Dawn was the pioneer behind the much admired sport and formed Futsal in the early 1970’s.

Dawn had been at the helm of Futsal NSW where she helped develop the sport to where it is today.

In 1971, Dawn was working at the local YMCA in Revesby and after a long period of rain where no community football was played and having three young boys herself who all played the sport, she decided to try indoor soccer on a basketball court – a sport she had heard about happening overseas.

That idea alone saw numbers sore, as over 300 children signed up and Dawn continued to play with the idea by administering it for the following season.

As this concept continued to grow, the Australian Indoor Soccer Federation was formed in 1977 and that was all thanks to Dawn’s hard work and efforts and her contribution to what started as an idea, developed into Futsal in NSW today.

She had grown the sport to its peak in NSW in participation numbers and developed a structure for Futsal that still supports the game today.

Having administered many roles throughout her time as well as the CEO of Futsal in NSW, Dawn was passionate about watching the sport reach new heights.

Football NSW would like to pass on its deepest condolences to the Gilligan Family, a true Australian Futsal Icon, she will never be forgotten, may she rest in heavenly peace.