WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country Record Article (NO.10)
OFF FIELD SUPPORT JUST ONE OF MANY FOCUS AREAS FOR REGION COMMISSIONS
AFL Victoria Region Commissions are continuing to assist the wider community through the introduction of a number of off field education programs.
One example is AFL Western District who has united with Victoria Police, local government agencies and a number of other affiliates to create The Great South Coast ICE Challenge.
A collective engagement project designed to reduce harm caused by the drug ICE, the Great South Coast ICE Challenge is one of many initiatives rolled out by Region Commissions across Victoria.
AFL Western District Region General Manager, Lachlan Patterson,said the focus of the Challenge is on education, awareness, action and prevention – not rehabilitation.
"The Great South Coast Ice Challenge is a systematic process which plans to address Ice Prevention by engaging with the local community in projects and action research to develop, test and share what actions and strategies are effective,” Patterson said.
“Project teams of 10-12 members have been formed in each local government agency who will now work on developing a suite of initiatives to be rolled out across the next 12 months,” Patterson said.
Similarly, AFL Gippsland has partnered with Victoria Police, GippSport and Australian Community Support Organisation inactioning a plan to combat ICE usage in the community.
AFL Gippsland Region General Manager, Travis Switzer, praised clubs for getting involved with the Gippsland Footy’s Fight Against ICE initiative, which is aimed at developing an Illicit Drugs Policy at club level.
“It’s great to see so many clubs getting on the front foot with this issue,” Switzer said.
“It is obviously a massive community issue and we want to try and talk to them about the dangers of ICE use and talk about that from a preventative point of view.”
AFL Gippsland also launched a Mental Health Round last year, which is aimed at encouraging discussion and eliminating stigma surrounding mental health.
As part of Mental Health Round, senior footballers and A-grade netballers from every home team wear light blue socks to raise awareness of mental health issues within the community.
“If we can change one life, it will be a worthwhile exercise,” Switzer said.
In another off-field initiative, AFL Goulburn Murray has partnered with Valley Sport to deliver an innovative workshop based program to clubs over the next 12 months.
The program, incorporating club health checks, financial planning assistance and a junior development strategy will take the form of interactive club workshops delivered by staff.
AFL Goulburn Murray Region General Manager, Martin Gleeson, said these off field programs are the next evolution of the support delivered by the Region Administration Centre.
“Over the past couple of years there have been significant outcomes achieved across the region through these participation initiatives,” Gleeson said.
“A key Strategic Priority of the Commission is Community and it is under this priority that this program will provide the next level of support through education and training to club volunteers and administrators.”
AFL Victoria Country Football Manager, Jim Cail said he was delighted that Region Commissions were working with their respective communities to ensure a brighter future for everyone, both on and off the field.
“All Region Commissions are committed to undertaking community initiatives that aim to enhance the environment and meets a need within that community.”
“It’s fantastic to see all our Region Commissions supporting their communities and we encourage all of them to continue the great work they are doing within their regions.”