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. 

Our team supports clubs to build a club policy around tricky topics such as alcohol management, illegal drugs, smoking, mental health and safe transport. 

We work with clubs to identify strategies that work in their unique environment, to affect the change needed to make clubs the best they can be.

By joining Good Sports, local clubs can reduce the harms from alcohol and other drugs for members and families and set an example – becoming a role model for their community.

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

You’ll get free access to Good Sports staff, tools and resources along the way.

Good Sports has been helping build strong community sporting clubs across Australia for over 25 years. Today more than 12,000 clubs from over 100 sporting codes are proud to be a part of the Good Sports team.

Find out more about the objectives, benefits and evidence behind the program.

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

Local clubs bring together a real cross section of the community and play a vital role in modelling what a healthy, family friendly environment can look like. They lead by example, setting the standard for inclusivity, member health and wellbeing. 

By joining Good Sports and implementing harm reduction policies and practices, your club can help reduce alcohol-related harms, such as drink driving and disease. You’ll also play a key role in reducing children’s exposure to alcohol, delaying the age they start drinking.  

Being part of Good Sports demonstrates your club’s commitment to a safe, welcoming, and family-friendly environment. This not only benefits your members but can also help attract and retain players, families and volunteers.  

Clubs from over 120 sporting codes, in all states and territories, are part of Good Sports. The program includes clubs from AFL, soccer, rugby league, netball, bowls, cricket, athletics and more.

Good Sports is best suited to clubs where alcohol is consumed, whether on your club premises or part of celebrations off-site.

Research over the last two decades shows that Good Sports works for community clubs.

• Clubs see a 37% reduction in risky drinking and a 42% reduction in alcohol related harms
• Clubs have a 8% reduction in the odds of drink-driving compared with non-Good Sports clubs, for each season a club was in the program.
• 89% of participating clubs reported an increase in their confidence to manage illegal drug issues and 70% reported an increased awareness of mental health issues. Eight in ten club members report increased intention to seek help for mental health issues when it was needed.
• Good Sports clubs also saw their membership numbers grow by 9%, expanding junior teams by 12% and female players by 11%. Volunteer numbers also grew.

The time needed to complete your policy will depend on what your club already has in place and what practices might need to be implemented. 

The Good Sports program is designed for busy volunteers. Your Good Sports team member will be available to support you at any point along the way, and you can progress at a pace that suits you.

Once you’ve completed and signed your full policy and reached Gold Medal Accreditation, you’ll only need to dedicate a few hours per year to progress your policy and keep it up to date. 

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. Once you’ve met the minimum harm reduction requirements your initial policy will be ready. Sign it online, and your club is Good Sports Accredited!
3. Continue moving through the questionnaire and action plan, with support available from the Good Sports team at every step of the way.
4. Once you’ve completed all actions, you’ll have created your full policy covering alcohol, other drugs, smoking, safe transport, mental health and a safer environment for juniors (if applicable to your club). Congratulations, you’ve reached the highest level of the program and are now a Gold Medal Good Sports club!
5. Once your club is Gold Medal accredited, you’ll just need to log in and review your policy once a year to make sure everything 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 could occur and gives you a procedure to follow if the issue comes up.

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 portal. 

While the program is most useful for clubs that consume or sell alcohol, it’s still relevant for your club. With a program covering mental health support, smoking management, safe transport, and illegal drugs, Good Sports helps all clubs create safe and family-friendly environments. 

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

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.