24th June, 2021 — Road safety

Staying alert keeps Blueys on safe footing

When it comes to road safety, the Tarrawanna Blueys have drink-driving problems rounded up and brought to heel.

That’s because, like their feisty blue heeler mascot, the club’s leadership team has a sharp eye on the ball when it comes to safe transport.

With a strong showing on the field, from Premier League to women and juniors, they’re embracing the world game at every level from their corner of Wollongong, NSW.

They welcome players from all cultural backgrounds. And like all Good Sports Clubs, they pride themselves on being family friendly, with a focus on attracting more juniors and keeping them on side as they grow.

Club secretary-treasurer David Naylor, a Manchester United supporter by birth, says it’s very rare to see excessive drinking from members.

“We haven’t had any incidents at all on our match days.”

And after the game, presentations and celebrations are kept to a happily responsible level.

Tarrawanna Blueys FC’s formula for running smoothly

With such an incident-free track record, what are the Blueys doing right?

David says keeping a careful eye over alcohol served at the ground certainly helps.

“We have responsible adults serving in the canteen, and they are aware when someone’s had too many,” says David. Anyone who looks like they’ve had enough will be offered a bottle of water instead.

It also helps not having clubrooms, where people tend to eat, drink and stay until late evening.

Not to mention the tidy 90-minute timeline for after-match presentations for players and volunteers at the local hotel.

“From a safe transport point of view at the senior level, we always keep an eye out for people that might have had too many.”

In the rare event someone does trip over the line, they’ll be offered a taxi voucher, or someone from the club will drive their car home and drop them off.

“If there was a case like that, we always keep an eye out for one another. We’ve got each other’s back and we make sure no one’s over the top or anything like that.”

Safe celebrations matter too

At the big end-of-year event, buses are brought in, so everyone can party like champions while avoiding drink-driving dramas.

“At the end of the year when we have our gala awards night, we all come together as one,” says David.

“If they want a good night out, to save them the worry of driving, we’ll encourage them to get on the bus. Then we travel to the event, and then we know they’re getting home safely,” says David.

“It comes down to a duty of care we have for our members. It’s important we look out for each other, and the safety and wellbeing of the members is paramount at all times on game day and at club functions.”

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