Sports resources

Resources for sports clubs

With over 70 sports clubs and groups across Merri-bek, we know that clubs can sometimes need help with establishing themselves and finding out more about ongoing compliance policies.

If you’re a club who wants to know more about regulations, funding or recruiting new members – you’ve come to the right place. Explore the topics below to find useful resources for your sports group or club.

Explore the topics below to learn more

Advertising, sponsorship and signage

Codes of conduct

Council policies

Disability

Facility guidelines

Forms

Guidelines and other documents

Strategies

User guides

Find out about Council's Active Women and Girls Strategy and ways to recruit girls and women into your club.

To address the inequity in women and girls taking part in sport across Merri-bek, the Council introduced a Sportsground and Pavilion Allocation Policy. The policy requested clubs to be inclusive of women, juniors, people with a disability and people from culturally diverse communities, or risk losing allocation of a ground to a club who is being inclusive.

Merri-bek is the first Council in Victoria to prioritise the allocation and use of sporting grounds and pavilions to clubs which demonstrate inclusiveness of women and girls.

To gain future funding, state sports associations are required to have 40% women on their boards. Research shows that increased gender diversity on boards leads to improved organisational performance. As per Merri-bek Council’s Sporting facilities, grounds and pavilions user guide, clubs are eligible for a 20% discount on their allocation fees if they have 40% women on the committee.

Here are some resources that can contribute to gender equality and help your club recruit women and girls.

Gender equality

Recruiting women and girls

These fact sheets provide some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach women. Studies show that women are the main decision makers in relation to activities the family may participate in. Women also have the highest life expectancy. Participation in regular physical activity has a wide range of health and well being benefits for women including physical, functional, psychological and social benefits and contributes to disease prevention.

Learn more about recruiting females to your club by sharing the following information with your committee:

It is important for clubs and activity providers to make sure they make it as easy as possible for all people to get active. There are also many benefits for clubs, such as increased membership.

There are many ways activity providers can remove or reduce the barriers that prevent people from getting involved. Here are some fact sheets and resources on how to get people from all walks of life to get involved.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) fact sheet

This fact sheet provides some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach culturally and linguistically diverse people within Merri-bek.

Families fact sheet

This fact sheet provides some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach families and promote a healthy lifestyle across generations. The involvement of friends and family helps facilitate participation in sport.

Low Income Earners fact sheet

This fact sheet provides some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach individuals and families on low or limiting incomes and how to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.

Older Adults fact sheet

This fact sheet provides some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach older adults. With an ageing population, it is increasingly important that physical activity participation is considered an essential part of everyday life and reaches levels that allow people to enjoy good health and quality of life well into their older years.

Young People fact sheet

This fact sheet provides some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach young people. Encouraging young people to change physical activity participation behaviours requires approaches that address existing and perceived barriers and motivators and a clear understanding of how to reach young people and what messages work best.

Disability

People with a Disability fact sheet

This fact sheet provides some background information and suggestions to support clubs and activity providers to successfully reach individuals with a disability.

People with disabilities are likely to be looking for opportunities to socialise, develop skills and try new things in safe and understanding environments that cater for their personal needs with skilled and experienced leaders. People with disabilities seek physical activity that is well organised, safe and offers social interaction with others of the same age, like most people.

LGBTQI+

Below you will find links to resources to help your sport or club tackle homophobia in sport.

Creating an LGBTI+ inclusive Club

Play by the Rules and Proud 2 Play offer a free, interactive online training course suitable for coaches, administrators, officials, players and volunteers. It was developed in partnership with South West Sport and VicHealth. For more information or to complete the training course, visit: Creating an LGBTI+ Inclusive Club - Play by the Rules - Making Sport inclusive, safe and fair

Interactive scenario

Play by the Rules has developed short interactive scenarios on topical issues and challenges occurring in sport. These scenarios let you explore your understanding and beliefs about issues as well as provide practical tips about inclusive, safe and fair sports practices and procedures.

Homophobia and Sexuality Discrimination scenario

You Can Play

You Can Play is a national anti-homophobia in sport Initiative brought to you by Play by the Rules.

Visit the You Can Play website and view the videos.

Supporting trans and gender diverse sports people

Below you can find a range of resources to support trans and gender diverse people in your sporting club:

Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission guidelines

Guidelines on gender diverse inclusion in sport. Including tips on understanding the act, common scenarios and a policy template to support your sports club or organisation.

Practical advice

Sport Australia partnered with the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports to develop this practical advice to assist sporting organisations in supporting trans and gender diverse sports people.

Transgender guidelines

Tennis Autralia’s transgender guidelines for community tennis.

Gender diversity policies FAQs

Australian Football League gender diversity policies FAQs for elite and community football.

Inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people guidelines

Cricket Australia guidelines for the inclusion of transgender & gender diverse people in community cricket.

Posters and signs of support

Sports Australia has produced several posters and fact sheets to assist clubs in creating safe and supportive environments for trans and gender diverse people at sports organisations.

Education and training

Proud 2 Play offer a range of education and training programs. Topics covered include the basics around LGBTI+ inclusion, how to identify and respond to discrimination or harassment, and marketing and media strategies for handling LGBTI+ issues.

Play by the rules

Creating an LGBTIQA+ inclusive club is a free, interactive online training course suitable for coaches, administrators, officials, players and volunteers.

Here are some fundraising ideas your club can use to boost cash.

Host events

Barbecues and sausage sizzles can be held on game days, often in partnership with local community organisations and stores. On other days you could use club facilities to host movie or trivia nights.

Competitions

Raffles or other games of luck and skill could be hosted to raise money. Rather than alcohol, prizes could be sourced from local businesses; not only does this send a clearer message about alcohol, it also helps create lasting goodwill with others in the community.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship doesn’t only have to be about companies giving the club money – it can also be used to reduce the costs you can’t avoid. You might ask a lighting business to chip in for the electricity bill. Remember: putting a business’ logo on your shirts sends a clear, powerful message so it’s important to think about whether you truly endorse their values.

Fundraising drives

There are countless products you can get cheaply and then re-sell to make a profit. Local charities and businesses might donate goods or services in the form of vouchers.

Grants

Merri-bek Community Grants program

The Merri-bek Council Community Grants Program gives financial support and incentive to implement and support community building initiatives. This grants program is targeted at not-for-profit incorporated community groups.

  • Annual grants, which open in February each year
  • Minor grants which are open all year

See Merri-bek Community Grants program and Grants quick guide for further information and links.

Government and sporting association grants

The following links provide detailed information about available grants.

Looking for somewhere to play?

Find useful information about Merri-bek City Council's facilities and hire processes on the pages below.

Sportsgrounds and Facilities Sportsgrounds for hire