Play by the Rules and the Australian Sports Commission developed the 7 Pillars of Inclusion framework to give sports clubs and associations a starting point to address inclusion and diversity. The 7 Pillars model gives you a broad view of inclusion, looking at the common elements that contribute to creating inclusive environments that reflect the communities that we live in. 

The seven pillars are:

  • Access – How to get there and get in
  • Attitude – How willing you are to make it happen
  • Choice – What can you do?
  • Partnerships – Who will you work with?
  • Communication – Who will you tell?
  • Policy – How are people responsible?
  • Opportunities – What do you want to do?

The 7 Pillars can be applied to sport at every level, from national sporting organisations down to grassroots community clubs.

A practical way to use the 7 Pillars is to get together with the key decision makers in your organisation and work through each Pillar and assess where your organisation fits. 7 Pillars will assist you with identifying your strengths and weaknesses around inclusion and diversity and help you along the path to creating a strong, inclusive culture for your club. The Pillars could also be used to underpin a strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Access

What is it?
This Pillar explores the importance of a welcoming environment and the habits that create it.

How can I apply this to my club or sport?
Accessibility is about more than physical access to facilities. It’s about the culture, the environment, the feel of the place that you’re in. If volunteers, coaches and committee members are not welcoming in their conduct, access to that sport environment is hindered. Accessibility is also about how members are included at every level. Besides playing, this includes leadership, coaching and volunteering opportunities, as well as any educational, employment or talent pathways your club or organisation has to offer.

How can I put it into practice?
Access can mean how people literally access and navigate a building, and how easy that experience is. Access can also mean thinking about the extent to which you are providing a sense of belonging to everyone. It’s about culture; what kind of jokes are inappropriately being shared by others? It’s about fair access; who gets first preference for facilities and new equipment? Think about:

  • Assess your sport or club premises and facilities – see if any physical access issues need to be addressed. For example, would it be feasible to offer privacy within change rooms? What type of artefacts (e.g. photos, posters, trophies, records) are showcased in your club rooms or on your social media pages? Are they representative of all the diverse groups within your community?
  • Review how you communicate – look at how people get in touch with your sport or club, and how you communicate with them. What kind of language are you using – is it written plainly? What about your social media posts (including images and content), what type of news and images are you posting? Also think about how well you know your participants; what kind of information or feedback do you collect (e.g. on registration forms), and what does it tell you about their needs?
  • Encourage positive and sensitive interaction – by all those involved (particularly committee members and coaches). Are you focused on creating a positive environment and experiences that are inclusive and welcoming? How do you manage those who are not delivering on those positive experiences? What is the willingness of all volunteers, parents and coaches to commit to this? Perhaps, consider attracting participants to enjoy the social and cultural experiences you can offer, as well as the sporting experiences.
     

Attitude

What is it? 
This Pillar looks at the difference between positive intention and behaviour. 

How can I apply this to my club or sport? 
Sometimes, there can be a gap between wanting to be inclusive and putting it into action. This Pillar is about walking the talk. It involves continued learning and reflection, and allocation of resources to make diversity, equity and inclusion happen. 

How can I put it into practice? 
It’s very important for sports and clubs to examine their attitudes and norms critically. Take a step back and look at how your club works and what people outside the club see, from the behaviours and attitudes of the staff, to how the club room is decorated and what’s shared on your social media and website. This means asking some important questions that might be obvious, and others that might not be so obvious. For example: 

  • Which teams or players are prioritised and celebrated the most/least? Whose achievements are promoted the most/least through the various promotion channels?
  • How do you allocate spaces, and how might that impact on others feeling welcome to use it? Do any groups or teams have preference?
  • Are social events accessible, and appropriate, for everyone? Are activities appealing to new participants or are they mostly appealing to a particular gender or cultural background (e.g. a night out drinking might not appeal to everyone).
  • What kind of measures do you have in place to address sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist or ableist remarks? How do you support people who experience these behaviours? Is there a zero-tolerance for discrimination or are excuses made?
  • How diverse are the leadership structures, including boards, club committees, managers and coaches? 

Supporting inclusivity in coaching, management and committee levels is very important in embedding a strong whole-of-organisation commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. This might mean that existing leadership structures need to actively target and engage members of the community and develop appropriate recruitment and retention strategies. 

Sometimes it’s hard to find a balance between participation and performance in sport. Research shows that there is a perception that sports that ‘value diversity’ and ‘do it well’, might not ‘perform well’. However, inclusive participation and performance can go hand in hand and support each other. For example, being inclusive can widen the talent pool in a sport or a club. Transforming perceptions that inclusive participation is ‘bad for performance’ is important in evolving the organisation’s philosophy around diversity, equity and inclusion. 
 

Choice

What is it? 
Inclusion is about providing this range of options. There needs to be a choice to make inclusion work; the trick is developing choices so people can participate in a way that works for them. 

How can I apply this to my club or sport?
This Pillar is about clubs providing options to choose from that suit all kinds of members and participants, rather than making them fit into the limited options available. It’s about evaluating what changes can be made for ‘choice’ to be more open and inclusive to everyone. 

How can I put it into practice? 
Choices to engage in sports and clubs can be limited for some minority and disadvantaged groups. But, sometimes, the choices we present may be limited by what we think people can do. When considering how you provide choices, think about the extent to which that opportunity applies to everyone. How accessible is the choice that your sport and club is providing to people of all backgrounds and abilities? Try the following: 

  • Always put the person first – ask people in your sport or club and community what flexibility or adaptations need to be made rather than assuming you know. Engage in open conversation with your participants (or parents and carers if they’re children), talk about how your sport and club can provide a welcoming and safe sporting experience for each individual.
  • Embrace engagement – people feel a sense of ownership and pride when they are part of decision making processes. Rather than assuming you need a separate space for a particular group, ask your communities what they need. Seek feedback about how welcoming your space is, how welcoming the committee are, how understanding the coaches are. The more involved people feel with the sport and club, the more likely that they will feel a sense of belonging and can take up the opportunities and choices you are offering and contribute actively to them.
  • Don’t be so afraid to say or do the wrong thing that you don’t say or do anything at all. This is a confusing and difficult space, it’s challenging to get it right. But be willing to communicate and listen. Be open to discussions, even if they are difficult discussions. Be open to change, and reflective of any potential criticism. It’s okay for this process to involve trial and error, if you make a choice and it doesn’t work out as intended, make the choice to review, redevelop and retry. 

Partnerships

What is it?
Inclusion happens best when there are effective partnerships – either formal or informal.

How can I apply this to my club or sport?
This Pillar is not just about who you work with strategically, it’s about an overall ‘connection’ to the various networks that sport delivery consists of. It’s about creating and sustaining connections with other groups, clubs, individuals, and organisations. Partnerships can range from formal contracts, through to joint provision arrangements (e.g. a club leasing a facility from their local government), as well as community partnerships and various project collaborators. The Partnerships Pillar is about committing to inclusion on a broader systems level, when it comes to planning, delivering, and evaluating sport services.

How can I put it into practice?
There are many organisations, services, centres or groups you can establish mutually beneficial connections with. Sponsors, funding bodies, government agencies, researchers/evaluators, and community organisations all have an interest in creating more welcoming and inclusive places to play sport. Don’t be afraid to start a conversation, or start up a round-table or sharing circle with like-minded people. What are each partner’s intended outcomes, and how can you all support and add to each other’s end goals? How can we scale best practices? Some other things to think about are: 

  • Begin the discussion - start conversations with other sports and clubs in your local area about what they are doing. You can learn a lot from sharing experiences and knowledge with other sports and clubs. Look at the various community organisations that work in the diversity space; how can you learn from their work and they from yours? Build your key networks, for example, subscribe to Play by the Rules to stay up to date, join in on Diversity and Inclusion in Sport Alliance (DISA) forums, or join an existing community of practice such as Change Makers.
  • Review and expand your network – create a mind map of your current network, then add boxes of contacts who could fill gaps, or offer support, that you might not have already. Search for the various multicultural, disability, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ community groups, services and centres in your local area using online community directories, or contact your local council who can help you find them. Start conversations with them and look to build relationships and partnerships that contribute to a whole-of-community focus for your sport.
  • Join forces – think about forming collaborative ventures or partnerships with organisations and join forces to apply for funding together. Work together to incorporate existing programs such as Racism. It Stops with Me, Our Watch, Reconciliation Australia, Pride in Sport Index, and campaigns like Let Kids be Kids and Changing the Game.
     

Communication

What is it?
Good, open and transparent communication is critical to the success of inclusion. This Pillar examines what effective inclusive communication is.

How can I apply this to my club or sport?
This Pillar is about who you’re communicating with, and how. It’s not just about the different types of communication methods that would be appropriate and effective for you, but also about your sport or club’s presence in the broader community. This means thinking about your broader image: who you represent, your signage and social media presence, how you communicate in your marketing, and how the members, participants and stakeholders of your organisation communicate with each other. How inclusive is the language you use? How inclusive are the photos you post on social media? How accessible are your marketing strategies, and who has access to them?

How can I put it into practice?
Communication is very important in many areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. First, you can communicate what you are doing to increase diversity and promote inclusive practices. To do this effectively, think about how you communicate both internally and externally. Think about how you communicate information via your website, social media, email, bulletins, etc. Think about the type of language you use, and the people and types of news you are promoting or sharing – are they inclusive? For example, internally, you can share and showcase the diversities within your local community to your sport or club. Your organisation’s website and social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, are great ways to show and tell your story to the external community. Review the content you post and consider who (and how) the messages are portraying and whether they reflect the real diversity of your community.

Effective communication and marketing can play a key role in helping organisations increase membership, attract sponsors, increase awareness and support for their organisation. Making sure that your communication strategies are inclusive, and reflect the diversity of our dynamic communities, will help to build stronger, socially harmonious and healthier communities in general. Here are some more suggestions:

  • You can’t be what you can’t see – review the images and graphics on your website, publications and social media, and make sure they reflect your diverse and dynamic local communities.
  • Inclusive and accessible communication – adopt a commitment to inclusive communication within your organisation. Use inclusive language and terminology, even if it means updating your policies or marketing material, or developing new policies around communication (e.g. social media) giving people guidelines about the language that they should and shouldn’t be using. Also, it is important to make your messages accessible for everyone, for example, people who might not speak English, or people with certain types of disability – think about providing subtitles for videos, or translating written information. Use resources already at the sport or club – does anyone speak a different language? Is there someone who knows Auslan (or can you use the Auslan sign bank to help translate verbal messages into Auslan?)
  • Acknowledgement of Country – open your events or special meetings with an Acknowledgement of Country. Make it a standard process and have an Acknowledgement in your official reports. Reach out to Indigenous Australian community groups in your area for support on how best to do this, including appropriate terminology and cultural considerations.

Policy

What is it?
This Pillar considers how an organisation takes responsibility for inclusion through the implementation of policy.

How can I apply this to my club or sport?
Inclusion needs to become embedded in your core business through rules and policies. This Pillar is about commitment and responsibility. Policies hold you accountable to your partners, stakeholders, and communities, and holding everyone accountable to inclusion. 

How can I put it into practice?
Policies don’t need to be complex. A good policy affirms your club or sport’s stance on your values and how you bring those values to life. Embedding a commitment to inclusion needs to be reflected in all formal policies and strategies that provide more specific guidance on how the sport or club operates, and what resources will be dedicated to this. 

Play by the Rules has a template Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy your club or organisation can use today. We also have template codes of conduct you can use to embed inclusive behaviours. You should also review your Member Protection and Safeguarding Children and Young People policies – and the associated complaints and resolutions procedures – so that you’re aware of the processes available to prevent and respond to discrimination, vilification and abuse, no matter if it happens at the club or online. The National Integrity Framework, led by Sport Integrity Australia, provides consistent policies and procedures across all sports to protect everyone involved in sport. Click here to find out more about your sport’s involvement.

Some ideas to think about include:

  • Promote your policies and codes of behaviour – ensure your members, participants, volunteers, parents, coaches and officials can access information about your policies and codes of behaviour. This includes promoting your zero-tolerance for any forms of racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexual harassment or ableism (and other conduct not acceptable at your sport or club). It means ensuring there are clear reporting channels available for people to report issues or concerns.
  • Embed inclusion into club roles – make it a priority, even a policy, that everyone has a role to champion diversity and inclusion in your club. You might also have one or two Member Protection Information Officers (MPIOs) who can promote inclusive practices and engage with members on issues affecting them.
  • Commitment to training and support – coaches can be one of the most integral components to diversity and inclusion in sport. It’s important to support coaches to get the training and education that can broaden and diversify what they coach, and the way they do it.

Opportunities

What is it?
This Pillar explores the way opportunities are made available for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

How can I apply this to my club or sport?
This Pillar is similar to choice, but it is about much more than choice. The Opportunities Pillar is about breaking down the habits that determine the opportunities available. Are the opportunities in you sport or club inclusive of everyone? Historically, clubs and sports have presented limited opportunities for marginalised groups to engage in other forms of participation, such as leadership and management (e.g. coaching, committee roles). So, even if someone makes the choice to engage in your sport or club, what opportunities do they have to contributed in various ways?

How can I put it into practice?
Sometimes, opportunities are presented out of habits and structures that we are not conscious of, making it hard to change them. Many of these habits are inclusive as it is, yet there are also some habits that are exclusive or create barriers and challenges for some of our communities to participate. It’s therefore important to take a critical look at the types of opportunities you are offering. Here are some starting points to consider:

  • Assess your current state of inclusion – you can use the free Game Plan platform, developed by the Australian Sports Commission, to assess your club or sport’s current approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion, identify gaps and access resources that will help you enhance your approach.
  • Look from the outside in – sometimes it’s hard to see our habits because we may not be aware of them. It helps to engage someone from the outside, perhaps an external or independent consultant, who can look at your processes and identify things that might act as barriers to inclusion.
  • Keep tabs – if you have not started collecting information about diversity in your sport or club, you can start now. It’s important to know where your participants and staff come from, what their backgrounds are, and how they contribute to a diverse group within your sport (if they’re willing to share). When you start keeping tabs on who people are, where they’re from, and what their aspirations and needs are, you might find that you are more inclusive than you thought, and perhaps already have many inclusive strategies in place.