The Avon Football Association (AFA) will be holding a Tackling Illegal Drugs Round on Sunday 28 April as part of its involvement in the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s (ADF) Club Leadership Project taking place in the League over the 2019 season.

The WACFL- who oversees the facilitation of country football amongst its 25 Leagues and 150 Clubs (around the state), received a funding grant from the ADF in 2018, to run a pilot program aimed at reducing illegal and illicit drug use in the region, through building a Club Leadership Program. The Project is supported by the Good Sports initiative.

The Project targets 3 Key Drugs (Alcohol, Cannabis and Methamphetamine) and is aimed at 18-30-year olds.  

The Project has established the following 3 objectives:

a) Promote key messages regarding Drugs, Alcohol, Mental Health and Club Leadership;

b) Ensure Clubs are able to provide a safe, welcoming and educational environment for members (suitable policy and systems);

c) Peer Support Network (Clubs) providing leadership (guidance, support, outreach) to the broader Club Community.

The Peer Support Network will be made up of local players that volunteer to receive accreditation and are capable of providing ongoing leadership to the younger members of their Clubs and the broader community. Training modules will be conducted between May and July.

Former WACFL General Manager Joe Georgiades has been involved with the development the Project and has been running Club sessions amongst the Avon Clubs in April, and has been impressed with the initial buy in of the Avon Clubs.

“The first five sessions have all been great and so far we have had good numbers of players keen to volunteer for the program, which demonstrates enough people are keen to make a change for their communities.”

With positive results, there is potential to replicate the program across country football’s 150 statewide network (which cuts across Agricultural, Mining and Remote Communities as well as potentially playing a key role in all of the State’s Regional Centers) tackling issues such as drug use, safety on roads, health and wellbeing and suicide prevention.

“Obviously we want to promote what existing local service providers are doing, but we also believe there is a significant opportunity for the football club to play a greater leadership role to the youth, to help develop them into future community leaders” Georgiades said.

The feature match across the Tackling Illegal Drug Round will be the Northam Derby of Railways vs Federals.

Other Matches over the weekend include York v Beverley and Cunderdin v Keller Tammin.

Date: Sunday 28 April

Location of Derby: Northam Recreation Centre / Henry Street Oval

Time: Entry from 12 noon with League Game starting at 2.15pm.

Further information on the Project

Joe Georgiades on 0407 849 984.

Joe Georgiades speaking to the Cunderdin Players after training.

Quairading Football Club players sitting in on the Project.