Clubs

Clubs can make inclusion happen at the community level. These resources will help show you how!

How to use Club Resources

The resources here will help you to learn how to make your footy club more inclusive so that all kids can play, regardless of ability. You can find information including how to modify your programs, how to set up an Access All Abilities Centre and downloadable posters that promote inclusion at footy clubs. There are many simple changes that footy clubs can make to enable inclusion which will greatly improve the experience for all children, families and people who interact with your footy club.

What does inclusion mean?

Inclusive clubs provide all community members equal access and opportunities to be involved with the club. Inclusion happens when all members of a community:

Are presumed competent, are recruited and welcomed as valued members
Fully participate and learn with their peers, and
Experience reciprocal social relationships.

Children with disabilities and developmental challenges might include those who have limitations in mobility (difficulty or inability to walk), the way they think or behave (e.g. intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, behavioural/emotional disorders), and sensory difficulties (e.g. vision/hearing).

Clubs need to consider a few different areas to become inclusive. This includes how programs are designed, how you provide information about the programs so it is accessible, whether staff are trained in disability awareness and whether you policies promote inclusion.

Programs like NAB AFL Auskick should be:

Accessible so the club/footy ground where the program is held is easy to approach, enter, and use safely and with dignity for someone with a disability
Designed so that persons with disabilities and without disabilities participate equally, such as adapting movements and rules of the game
Have adapted equipment to assist kids with disabilities to complete activities
Accommodating – such that the program can be modified to allow for inclusion and participation by kids with disabilities, for example, allowing an aide or caregiver to attend the program and help the child

Program instructional/educational materials need to be:

Available
In alternative formats – e.g. braille, web/electronic versions in plain text with text descriptions of pictures; large print; pictograms, audio versions, video with captions

Program staff need to be:

Trained in disability awareness. This training informs staff of how to work with and be sensitive to the needs of persons with disabilities. This includes training about providing for physical/emotional needs and overcoming stereotypes and misconceptions. You can find out more about AllPlay Training by going to our training page.

Club policies need to include:

Disability awareness training for staff at all levels is mandated
Club committees include members representing a disability perspective, such as someone with a disability
Club has a disability policy
Health promotion and wellness policies that promote participation of kids with disabilities. For example, you can use our club posters (see below) which promote kids of all abilities playing footy!