Articles

The rise of emotional abuse in children's sport

Emotional abuse is the most common form of injury in children’s sport. It largely goes unseen but can have profound and long-term effects, not just on the sports field.

NEW Mini-Course: A Parents' Guide to Clean Sport

A new mini-course A Parents Guide to Clean Sport is designed to help you enhance your children’s knowledge of how to protect themselves against performance enhancing drugs and drug use.

Characteristics of, risk factors for and strategies to address child sexual abuse in sport and recreation

When the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released its Final Report into sport and recreation it marked a significant milestone in our collective awareness and understanding of child abuse in sport. In this article we will focus on simple strategies you can put in place to help prevent abuse occurring in your sport.

Including people with diverse religious beliefs in your sport

Just as sports adapt their practices for people with disabilities, younger people, older people, and same sex people, sports must also consider religious beliefs in the administration of their programs.

Crossing the line: Appropriate or inappropriate behviour?

Sport is often characterised by close relationships between coaches and players, whereby coaches are in positions of trust and able to assert authority and power over players. The proper use of this power is vitally important in all coach and player relationships - the line between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour is often a matter of intent, perception and context.

Managing conflict at your club

People behaving badly is a world-wide problem. Whether it’s road rage, internet trolling, incendiary criticism of someone with different views or refusing to follow the direction of a parent etc. It is not surprising, therefore, that sports administrators, including board and committee members, are at their wits’ end dealing with conflict. So what to do with a subject that takes up way too much time and energy, and sometimes money, for everyone involved? 

Managing conflict at your club - part 2

Part 2 of 'managing conflict at your club' looks at the practical steps your club can take to deal with complaints.  

Can an apology lead to change?

In July 2014 New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent received a life ban from the sport for match fixing. Vincent's public apology gave cricket a fulcrum for the necessary learning and growing conversations around the impacts of corruption. Can an apology lead to change?

Practical steps to supporting diversity in junior sport

Junior sport is an important setting for promoting diversity and social inclusion because it is where many children and young people learn about social norms and develop attitudes towards people with diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Creating a bully free environment

There is no two ways about it: bullying has no place in sport. What is bullying? It’s all about power!

So what’s the issue with blackface?

A recent incident involving Australian women’s national basketball team player Alice Kunek posting a photo of herself with her face painted black for an end-of-season dress up party invoked public outrage and condemnation from many, including her team-mate Liz Cambage, whose father is Nigerian. Kunek apologised for her choice of a blackface costume at the Melbourne Boomers party, saying she didn't intend to offend anyone.

Support girls to 'play up' against boys

Australian women’s cricket captain Meg Lanning and BMX world champion Caroline Buchanan are among many elite female athletes who had to “mix it up with the boys” in their formative years because there was no girls’ competition in their respective sports.

Would they still have reached elite levels if clubs had turned them away?

Collecting member information brings protection obligations

Collecting the personal information of participants registering to join a club, competition or event has become standard practice across sport. But that practice could get you into hot water if you don’t comply with the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (Act) which governs the way you must handle the information you collect, and report any privacy breaches. 

Keeping sport safe, fair and inclusive

There’s a lot of great things happening to keep sport safe, fair and inclusive. The annual Play by the Rules Award provides a snapshot of what issues are a priority for sports and gives us an insight into the approaches being taken by organisations across the country. 

Gambling on sport - is it a problem?

It's happening more and more often - live betting odds being offered by online betting agencies in local sport leagues. It's happened in Canberra soccer football leagues and in Victorian gridiron competitions. Think it can’t happen to your sport or in your local area? Think again.

eSafety and sport - using technology to best advantage

There are many benefits of social media for sporting clubs. But, importantly, there are also risks, including cyberbullying and image based abuse. How do you minimise risks on social media?