Australian Drug Foundation

The Good Sports Program 

Established in 1959, the Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) is a charitable, not for profit organisation whose mission is to prevent and reduce alcohol and other drug problems within the Australian community. 

The ADF delivers a range of programs and services, including the Good Sports Program, the Druginfo Clearinghouse, the Centre for Youth Drug Studies and the Community Alcohol Action Network.

Funds were sought from the Charitable Foundation to expand the Good Sports Program into the Hunter and New England regions. The Good Sports Program is a free of charge service that provides educational tools and assistance to help not for profit community sporting clubs implement alcohol practices and policies to enable them to develop a culture that attracts families and junior players by reducing binge drinking, preventing underage drinking and avoiding incidences of drink driving, violence and assault.  The program has been implemented in a number of regions throughout Victoria and NSW and has been successful in reducing alcohol harm while making sporting clubs more viable and attractive to families and funding sources. 

The objectives of the Good Sports Program are to:

1. Change the behaviour of club players and members – increase safe alcohol practices, increase responsible alcohol consumption knowledge.
2. Increase community sporting club viability.
3. Reduce alcohol related problems – decrease drink driving from sporting clubs, decrease assaults and accidents, decrease in anti-social behaviour and damage emanating from sports clubs.
4. Increase the positive impact of sporting clubs in the community – improve relationships with parents, Police, Councils and other stakeholders, increase families socialising at community sport clubs.

The Hunter New England Good Sports Program aims to involve over 500 local sporting clubs and associations in this program over the three years.  Marc Glanville (ex Newcastle Knights player) has been employed as the project manager for this program.

To find out more information about the Good Sports program visit http://www.goodsports.com.au/