Keeping your club members safe on the roads

After games, events or post-training catch ups, alcohol may be in the mix. Or your members might just be tired after a big day.

Both these things increase the risk of accidents while driving, but there are things your club can do to help reduce the risk.

Check out our top road safety tips for local sporting clubs.

Top road safety tips for sporting clubs

• Develop a Good Sports Policy incorporating Safe Transport Policy items. Log into the Good Sports Platform or join now.
• Get game ready: Plan ahead to make sure you know how many members and guests will likely need help getting home, and come up with a game plan.
• Designated drivers: You can make it more attractive to be the designated driver by supplying free non-alcoholic drinks and food or snacks for members who are happy to get their mates home safely.
• Board the bus: Connect with local organisations in your area to borrow or hire a bus for safely transporting players home after games or events. Remember to keep the bus alcohol-free, ensuring everyone can get home safely at the other end. Orange United Sports Club partnered up with a local org to borrow their 12-seater bus. Your club might want to do a fundraising drive to buy or hire buses like Tuross Head Tennis Club.
• Carpooling: Encourage your members to carpool to events and games like Modbury Soccer Club do – the less people on the roads, the safer everyone is.
• Say it loud online: Regularly promote road safety messages on your club’s social media (Facebook and Instagram) and website to drive the safe transport message home especially ahead of major events. Good Sports can help with this.  Download the Getting Home Safe Kit for post templates and images to share on your social media channels, or get in touch with your Good Sports contact if you’d like more help with messaging.
• Walking: If people live nearby and want to walk home, make sure a sober person goes with them.

Tips for city and suburban clubs

• Taxis and rideshare:  Make sure you have the numbers of local taxi services and names of rideshare companies displayed somewhere visible at your club or event. You could include QR codes for rideshare apps to encourage members to download them to their phone (like Uber or Didi). Taxi or rideshare vouchers also make great prizes for raffles, games and awards.
• Public transport timetable: Print out or share links to local public transport timetables and maps so everyone can find out when the last bus, train or tram is. Google Maps shows public transport info in most places.

Tips for regional and rural clubs

We know clubs in regional and rural areas have extra challenges getting everyone home safe when taxis and public transport often aren’t an option. Here are some more ideas you could try out.

• Sleepovers: Rapid Bay Cricket Club is onto a winner with its club swags. Members who drive a long way to play are welcome to doss down in the clubrooms in a cosy swag.
• Member benefits: Do a special deal with a local hotel or motel for one-night stays for weary club members.
• Starry nights: Talk to the local caravan park. Negotiate a cheap rate for members to pitch a tent or hire a caravan for the night.
• Bunk up: Encourage club members who live further away to stay at a mate’s place close by.

Update your club’s safe transport practices today by logging into the Good Sports online portal.

If you’re not a Good Sports club yet, sign up today! Our Good Sports team is ready to talk you through any questions you might have. And it’s free. Give it a go.