Aspendale Arrows Netball Club have recently joined the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Love the Game program, and while they’re a junior club, President Nikki Sorrell highlighted the main reason behind the partnership was education.
“My first step is educating our committee and the immediate people that are running the club, and then the next step is the wider community and how we get that messaging out to help the younger ones,” she said.
A call out from their local council prompted Sorrell to enquire more about the initiative and the potential benefits the Love the Game program could offer the up and coming netballers at Aspendale Arrows.
“To start with, I was very hesitant because it’s about gambling. We’re a junior club, how does that apply to us? I did a fair bit of research to see what other clubs are involved, and to see some other junior local clubs were on board with it, I was like ‘yep, it can’t hurt’,” she said.
Having been in the presidency for less than 12 months, Sorrell is eager to drive change and get more involved in the community, and this program is one way to spread the word and help begin the process of change.
“I’m planning once a month to link back into the Love the Game website. There’s lots of ways to get involved and to spread messages. I want to continue to create the awareness and then send the information out to coaches to provide them with background information,” she said.
“Some people might find it confronting, especially as a junior club – what’s gambling got to do with us? But it’s about finding ways to help promote that messaging.”
Prior to Sorrell taking the reins Aspendale Arrows didn’t have any form of social media, making her question the most effective way to get the message out about the effects of sports betting.
“Trying to get the message out there when we don’t have a great following is something that I really want to improve. But again, coming back to education around all these important things that impact us, that’s the biggest thing for me. The messaging and the information that Love the Game shares is really good. They give you the copy for socials, they make it really, really easy to get on board.”
Sorrell is keenly aware of the external influences that can have an impact on the younger generation coming through the club, and how prevalent sports betting advertising is beyond the walls of the club itself.
“As a junior club we don’t have a home base, we don’t have functions other than presentation at the end of the year. It’s not like a big senior football and netball club where they might have club rooms or be doing social functions that have pokies or at a betting place. The juniors aren’t really exposed to that directly through our club, but betting is on the TV, it’s on a billboard, it’s on the radio when you’re in the car, so it does pop up,” Sorrell said.
Clubs that join the Love the Game program commit to saying no to sports betting sponsorship, and Sorrell says that the benefits extend beyond reducing the amount of promotion young people see – from educational resources to fun giveaways and events.
“We’re a not-for-profit organisation, and as a club we don’t have sponsors, so we’re relying on any opportunity we can find and we won a giveaway through Love the Game which helped us to upgrade equipment like balls and training bibs,” she said.
“We’re always looking at trying to get involved in more community initiatives and increasing education, acknowledgement and awareness to hopefully support all the different people in our community is so important.”
More than 650 local and elite sporting clubs are already partnered with Love the Game. The program is free to join, and benefits include resources to promote your club as a healthy and safe place; invitations to events, activities, and education sessions; opportunities to participate in Love the Game themed rounds; giveaways and merchandise; and access to a gambling action plan to implement in your club.
Take a stand against sports betting sponsorship to help juniors love the game, not the odds. Sign your netball club up to Love the Game.
