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Alcohol management
Knowing the facts about the effects of alcohol means you can choose to do what is best for your club when it comes to drinking behaviour.
There’s no safe level of drinking. But covering alcohol management in your Good Sports policy means you can manage alcohol at your club safely. It can also help you reduce the risks of drinking.
Being part of Good Sports means you get free templates and toolkits to save you time and effort when sorting out your policy.
Drinking and your body
There are many good reasons why alcohol and sport don’t mix. Alcohol can affect not just your sporting performance but also your recovery afterwards.
Drinking alcohol can affect your reaction times, your speed, rehydration and can delay healing after an injury.
Common alcohol issues for sports clubs
One of the most common alcohol issues for sporting clubs is the use of alcohol as a reward.
This may include using drinks as prizes, holding ‘all you can drink’ functions, supplying players with alcohol after games or encouraging binge drinking.
This culture of drinking can have harmful effects on individuals, clubs and communities.
For example, at a club in a rural Victorian community, alcohol was having a damaging effect on the club’s culture and standing in the community. Not only was there a tolerance for under-age drinking, but the club suffered from:
- poor on-field performance of players
- excessive post-match alcohol consumption
- lax attitudes regarding service of alcohol
- alcohol-related violence within the club
- high player turnover
- significant debt
- shortage of sponsors
- difficulty attracting new members, particularly women.
Banning free or cheap alcohol promotions and stopping drinking games are good ways to reduce excessive drinking and alcohol harm in your club. Some other ways to achieve this could be restricting or stopping alcohol sponsorship, and stopping the sales of alcohol via roaming in the stands during events.
Get a handle on alcohol at your club
We drink alcohol for a variety of reasons, however, many of us are not aware of its harmful effects. Australia’s alcohol guidelines state that no amount of alcohol is safe – and provide a simple breakdown of the recommended daily limits if you do choose to consume alcohol.
The guidelines state that to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy adults should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week. And, no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.
But not all drinks are equal when it comes to the amount of alcohol they contain. It can be tricky to keep track of your ‘standard drinks’. Here are some helpful tips for watching drinking levels.
Liquor Licensing made easy
By law throughout Australia, any club where alcohol is sold or consumed on its premises must have a liquor licence.
Good Sports is here to help clubs do the right thing and take the guesswork out of getting it right.
Good Sports has compiled this step-by-step guide to meeting licensing regulations and making sure you have a successful and safe season.
One good way to stay on the right side of the regulations is to have staff or volunteers who are trained in Responsible Service of Alcohol, or RSA. This will assist you to run the bar efficiently. It will also help you identify and manage people who are intoxicated (drunk).
Having RSA servers on duty at the club and behind the bar is a key part of being in the Good Sports program. Even if you don’t have a bar at your club or don’t provide alcohol at functions, having RSA-trained members can help to set a good example for members and guests.