The AFL Goulburn Murray Commission has set a strategic direction to both celebrate and recognise the significant role outside the game that Football Netball Clubs play in their local community with the release of a Health Services Strategy in January this year.
The Commission recognises the role of Football Netball Clubs and the physical, mental, emotional and social benefits provided to members and the broader community. Clubs cater for all ages, abilities, sexes, demographics, nationalities and social economic status and as such play an important role in providing positive social environments and role models to promote social messages to support the well being of their members.
The Strategy, a key project in the Commission’s 2015-2017 Strategic Plan, seeks to support clubs by promoting and educating on appropriate social messages and to assist in accessing appropriate services for members.
Four key elements make up the Strategy:
- Awareness – building awareness of important social messages and local service providers
- Connection – supporting clubs and members by profiling and connecting to appropriate service providers
- Education & Training – increasing understanding of, and compliance with, healthy community policies and practises
- Behaviour Change – improving social behaviour within individual and group settings
The region’s three Football Development Managers as a club’s ‘shop front window’ is a cornerstone of this strategy along with the development of a network of partners and service providers offering pertinent training and access to specialist skills.
Five key projects are being delivered as part of the strategy this season.
Firstly, an U18 Development Day was held for KDFNL clubs as a lead in to the season. Sessions were held in two different venues with TAC Cup Coaches (skill development), Headspace (mental health), Shepparton Police (risk taking behaviour) and Goulburn Valley Football Umpires (rules and umpire interpretations) all spending practical time with participants.
Man Up, an event in partnership with Headspace and Valley Sport, was held at the Eastbank Centre in Shepparton on 29 April. With a focus on mental health for 18-25 year olds and creating awareness of various service providers via a pre event expo, the event was attended by over 220 people from the local sporting community. Former AFL player Glenn Manton headlined the session with headspace Australia’s Head of Direct Clinical Services Dr Steve Leicester and ex-Geelong footballer Simon Hogan also sharing factual and personal information. The session covered mental health, alcohol and drugs and other societal issues all within a framework of how you can look after your mates.
Thirdly, in partnership with Bendigo Health, all Goulburn Murray clubs in the Shire of Campaspe have been selected to be part of a project featuring the innovative and new Outside The Locker Room program.
Outside The Locker Room (OTLR) is a series of workshops and interactions delivered in club and focused on community responsibility, responsible decision making and personal branding. With former AFL players Glenn Manton, Jake Edwards, Heath Black and Luke Ball actively involved the program seeks to equip adolescent boys, girls and young adults, along with their parents, families and communities, with the information and resources to better enable them to tackle an increasing number of social and mental health issues in a productive and not destructive way. Tallygaroopna and Undera have also joined the program and will match Greater Shepparton City Council seed funding with their own funds to participate in 2015.
Over the past three months a Health Services Directory has been developed in partnership with Valley Sport to provide a ready reckoner for club members, administrators and volunteers on local services and providers. With a neat business card sized fold out design the Directory will be available for distribution in early July.
Finally, themed rounds are also a positive tool for increasing awareness of important social messages amongst footballers and netballers. The KDFNL held their annual ‘Say No To Violence’ round in Round 6 and the GVFL will hold a ‘Report Racism’ round on 18 July in a partnership with the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission. The GVFL, KDFNL, Shepparton DJFL and Seymour DJFNL also promoted the Step Back Think Program and their Lace Up Campaign on 20/21 June to highlight the dangers of what can happen when individuals don’t think about their actions when faced with confrontational situations.
What does all of this mean for you as a football coach? As a coach you are a leader, mentor and role model. The initiatives generated from the Health Services Strategy are being developed to assist you in your role in developing quality people as well as quality footballers.
The Strategy seeks to support your important work and provides tools, resources and programs to educate you and your players to not only build stronger clubs but to enhance leadership and support every individual to realise their own potential.
Feel free to contact your local Football Development Manager for more information or to discuss how AFL Goulburn Murray can work with you and/or your club.
Last Modified on 15/12/2015 13:24