Forest Rangers Football Club are road safety heroes

“We do our utmost to provide a safe environment for kids, and to show the community that we take safe transport seriously,” said Club President Con Sorras.

Hosted by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation at Parliament House, Canberra in February 2023, the Awards ceremony recognised Good Sports clubs and their dedicated volunteers from across the country who are passionate about community, their members and making their club the very best it can be.

Simple but effective safe transport strategies

As part of the Good Sports program, the club put in place some simple yet effective safe transport practices that reduce the risk of drink driving.

“We’ve implemented a safe transport strategy for all events, to help prevent members from drinking and driving. We make use of our sponsor’s courtesy bus and have hired our own buses for one-off events,” said Club Vice President, Matt Spanko.

“We also don’t include alcohol in ticket prices for functions and we no longer give alcohol as prizes or gifts. Our members welcomed these changes because they recognised that their safety was our primary concern.”

President Con said there’s also a dedicated committee member wearing hi-vis, to help guide traffic at the club’s drop off and pick up area during training nights and match days.

In New South Wales, Good Sports is funded by the Australian Government and the New South Wales Government (Transport for New South Wales) and managed by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.