Good Sports is an Australia-wide program that supports and inspires community sporting clubs to set up a better environment for players, volunteers, supporters and officials. We help clubs tackle tricky topics such as alcohol, drugs, smoking/vaping, mental health and safe transport. 

The online program is designed to help busy volunteers make a positive difference, in less time and with less stress. The program takes the guesswork out of policy writing, as well as complying with legal requirements and your duty of care.

Good Sports has been helping build strong community sporting clubs across Australia for over 20 years. Today more than 11,000 clubs from over 100 sporting codes are proud to be a part of the Good Sports team.

There’s no cost to be part of Good Sports - it’s free for all community sporting clubs in Australia. 

Being part of Good Sports shows your community that your club is a welcoming place, helping to bring in and keep members and volunteers. We help you comply with legal requirements, and you’ll get free access to Good Sports staff, tools and resources.  

Local sporting clubs look after their members’ wellbeing, both on and off the field. Good Sports provides support to clubs on issues such as mental health, alcohol management, smoking, illegal drugs, safe transport and creating a safer environment for juniors. 

For over 20 years, we’ve worked with a variety of clubs; from those with a liquor license, those where alcohol is only consumed occasionally, to clubs that are completely alcohol and smoke-free.

Clubs from over 100 sporting codes, in all states and territories, are part of Good Sports. Any and every sporting code is welcome. Good Sports clubs range from football, netball, cricket, and athletics – all the way to gymnastics, dance, equestrian and dragon boating.

Being part of Good Sports shows your community that your club is a welcoming place, helping to bring in and keep members and volunteers. 

It can also help you comply with legal requirements, you’ll get free access to program staff, tools and resources, and support with fundraising for your club. 

We know your club is the most important thing. The program is designed to make things easier for busy volunteers.

The Good Sports program is designed for busy volunteers. The time commitment is low - generally you only need to dedicate a few hours per year to progress your policy and keep it up to date. 

The time needed to complete your policy will change based on the needs of your club. It will also depend on how many aspects of the program you already have in place. This could include alcohol management, smoke-free areas, mental health support and safe transport practices. You can progress at the pace that suits you.

When you go online to register your club for Good Sports, you’ll be able to log in to your account straight away. 

1. First up, you’ll answer a questionnaire which helps determine what your club is already doing well, and what extra steps you could take to improve members’ health and wellbeing.
2. As you answer the questionnaire, an action plan is automatically generated. As you tick off action items, your first policy will be completed. Sign it online, and your club is Good Sports accredited!
3. Continue moving through the questionnaire and action plan. 
4. Once you have completed all actions, you’ll become a Gold Medal Good Sports club. This means you’ve reached the highest level of the program and your policy covers alcohol, drugs, smoking, safe transport, mental health and a safer environment for juniors (if applicable to your club). 
5. Once your club is Gold Medal accredited, you’ll just need to check in once a year to make sure your policy is up to date. 

Signing up is easy, and you’ll have a dedicated Good Sports team member to help if you have any questions or need support along the way. 

Your Good Sports policy is your document that outlines your club commitments. For example, the part of your policy covering tobacco management outlines the actions your club will take regarding smoking (designating a smoke-free area at your club and putting up signage). It also covers the expectations you have for members and guests (not smoking in the smoke-free area).

A policy puts everything in writing. Even if you’re already doing all the actions outlined in the policy, signing it off with your committee makes it official. It shows your members, guests, and potential sponsors that your club is a welcoming place, and that you care about their health and safety. In some cases, a policy will also prepare your club to respond to any issues that may occur and gives you a procedure to follow.

Good Sports also takes the work out of writing your own policy – your policy will be automatically generated as you tick off items from your action plan in the online program. 

Yes, the program is relevant for all Australian sports clubs. With a program covering mental health support, smoking management, safe transport, and illegal drugs, Good Sports helps all clubs meet your duty of care to members and get prepared for any issues if they were to occur. 

Even if you don’t sell alcohol or have BYO events, you’ll be able to set standards around smoking/vaping and drug risk management to build a positive culture and make sure everyone knows what’s expected - in and out of club colours.

The program also provides a mental health support module, so you can look after more than just the physical health of your members.

Joining Good Sports shows potential members, volunteers, and sponsors that you care about their health and safety. And, that you are going above and beyond to create the most welcoming club environment that you can.