In line with the IWC’s history of looking for ways to progress our club to stand out from the pack, last night our committee voted in favor of signing up to the VicHealth Healthy Sporting Environments program.
The program which is available to regional clubs across Victoria, is limited to just fifty clubs in the Gippsland Region – only twelve in South Gippsland/Bass Coast. Our committee will work with GippSport to develop the club in six areas that create a healthy club. These are:
- Responsible use of alcohol;
- UV protection;
- Healthy eating;
- Reducing tobacco use;
- Inclusion for all; and,
- Injury prevention and management.
IWC club development officer, Dan Poynton indicated that the committee was excited about the opportunities this program would bring.
“Our club has joined the Healthy Sporting Environments program to ensure that the current committee and the rest of our members are up to date with the best practices in community sport. Further to this, being part of this program ensures that our club provides a top quality environment in which members can participate. Sports clubs are more than just places that promote physical activity – they’re also places where the community gathers and are ideal for promoting health and wellbeing. I think its a great fit for our club”
VicHealth have funded the program for 2 years and our committee will work with our local GippSport coordinator to progress through the modules, at a pace that suits us. The club is excited at the range of opportunities that being part of this program will bring, such as subsidised training opportunities for club members, merchandise pertaining to the different modules as well as other incentives & bonuses along the way.
We look forward to keeping you all up to date with our progress, feel free to chat to any of the committee about the program if you have any questions. We hope that you start to notice some small changes as we progress through the program to make our club one of the best ‘Healthy Sporting Environments’ in Bass Coast!!