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How your sporting club can create a more inclusive and accessible environment for people with disability 

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Inclusivity is important for all

Getting involved with a sporting club is a great way for people with disability to be engaged and thrive within their communities. Many of our Novita clients, including Alex, Chloe, Louise and Michael all benefit from participating in community sports. Sporting clubs should be accessible and inclusive to support the needs of athletes of all abilities to thrive and most importantly – have fun.  

According to Paralympics Australia, 75 per cent of people living with disability would like to participate in sports but feel that there are limited opportunities. We want to break this barrier and highlight how creating an inclusive and accessible sports club can lead to great results for all athletes, as well as their communities.  

The best thing is we can all play a part in making our local sports clubs more accessible – often this can be easier than you think. 

Here are the top benefits of having an inclusive sports club according to the Australian Sports Commission:  

  1. long-term sustainability,
  2. increased membership, volunteer and participant- base,
  3. more sponsorship opportunities
  4. increased community support,
  5. positive public image,
  6. positive and inclusive culture

 

So how can you make your sports club more inclusive? 

From providing opportunities to participate in mixed leagues to having accessible equipment, there are many ways to make your sporting club more inclusive for people with disability. We have summarised the changes you can make into seven key pillars:  

  1. access,
  2. attitude,
  3. choice,
  4. partnerships,
  5. communication,
  6. policy,
  7. opportunities

 

By following these pillars, you will understand the different elements that contribute towards a more positive, inclusive and successful team environment for everybody.  

Read our top tips below to start hitting goals towards inclusivity

1. Accessibility  

Accessibility means creating an environment where everyone can participate equally and enjoy themselves. If you are part of a small club and don’t have the financial allocation to create an accessible environment, you can apply for grants and financial support to assist you. 

These include:  

  • From your local Council 
  • Sporting organisations including SANFL  

 

Facilities: 

Having accessible facilities is an important step towards creating an inclusive sports club. Universal Design Principles is a concept where spaces and amenities are functional and useable for as many people as possible. This could mean accommodating a wide range of literacy and language skills or installing supports including ramps for people who use wheelchairs. Inclusive facilities should consider the needs of their whole community and design their space to cater for these needs. Spaces that don’t follow Universal Design Principles are usually inaccessible for some members of their community, and therefore, are not entirely inclusive. 

 

Accessible facilities could include: 

  • wheelchair ramps, 
  • accessible toilets,  
  • wheelchair seating facilities,  
  • disabled parking spots, 
  • sensory rooms, 
  • location of light switches and power sockets at an accessible height, 
  • disabled elevators, 
  • disabled showers,  
  • and changing rooms with ceiling track hoists.  

 

Equipment: 

Purchasing adaptive equipment for athletes with disability is another step to ensure your sports club is inclusive to a wider community. By purchasing the correct equipment, people living with disability will feel comfortable engaging in sporting activities.  

 

Examples of adaptive equipment could include: 

  • adapted balls in different sizes and featuring a range of grip styles, 
  • running tethers to support para-athletes along tracks – these would be most suitable for athletes with low vision,  
  • and adaptive racquets for weakened grip. 

 

Quick tip: looking to purchase adaptive equipment? Check out the NovitaTech website for the latest offerings.

2. Attitude

An inclusive sports club needs a good attitude. Attitude comes across in all that we do – whether that is playing against competitors or communicating with teammates.  

 

Positive attitude at a sporting club would be: 

  • embracing every member without prejudice or negativity, 
  • understanding that everyone has different needs and goals when participating in sports, 
  • and making sure everyone is part of the team – no matter their ability. 

 

Negative attitude at a sporting club would be: 

  • making people feel unwelcome because of their abilities and needs, 
  • not providing opportunities for people because of their disabilities, 
  • and being unwilling to play with or coach someone because they live with disability. 

 

Having a good attitude isn’t just about being positive, it’s also a willingness to act when you observe any discrimination or negative behaviours. It’s also about being open to learning – sporting clubs don’t need to be experts in inclusivity, but having the ability to learn about how to make their club more accessible is a must. 

3. Choice 

Choice is all about finding out what options people want and how they can get involved. This means providing a range of sporting options that people of all abilities can participate in. Novita client Louise says that people with disability should be given the choice to participate in the sports they want to, and as such has worked with the Morphettville Football club to help create ROOSQUAD, an inclusive football team. 

By giving people the choice and option to participate, sporting clubs can encourage a wider community of people to join their team. The best way to offer choice in these settings is to communicate with potential members of the club and see what they are missing out on and what they would like to see in a sports club.  

The Inclusion Spectrum is a helpful tool to identify many of the choices that could be possible for athletes with disability according to Play By The Rules. 

The spectrum includes participation choices for people living with disability including: 

  • No Modifications – (e.g. athletes with an intellectual disability who want to train in a mixed league)  
  • Minor Modifications – (e.g., a vision impaired runner using a rail for support) 
  • Major Modifications – (e.g., a seated tennis player competing under separate rules using modified equipment against other athletes with disability in an integrated tennis competition) 
  • Primarily for people with disability – (e.g., when athletes with disability combined to form teams with mainstream athletes – i.e., developing a mixed wheelchair basketball team, e.g., the SANFL wheelchair football league 
  • Non-playing roles – (e.g., people can participate in sports as officials, coaches, club presidents, volunteers and spectators. 

 (Information sourced from Play by the rules) 

4. Partnerships 

Partnerships are relationships built between organisations to foster participation within their respective communities. For example, Novita has teamed up with the SANFL for the 2024 City-Bay to help spread the word about inclusivity and participation in sports. Partnerships can be a great way to grow an initiative or program and bring more people into your community. Sports clubs might partner with disability organisations to create inclusive leagues or fundraising initiatives to support their cause. A great example of this is the SANFL wheelchair football league, who have partnered with Novita to provide opportunities for para-athletes to get involved in sports. 

5. Communication  

Communication is an important part of any organisation – not just sporting clubs. According to Sense good communication involves: 

  • being person centered and using preferred communication methods, 
  • being patient and listening to everyone’s needs no matter their ability, 
  • being positive and encouraging team members to participate and have fun, 
  • and being a team player by including everyone and sharing success equally. 

 

Quick tip: When you communicate, think about the information you provide to people and how you are providing it. Does it suit their communication needs? 

6. Policy 

Policy is about holding yourself, your club or organisation and stakeholders to account for inclusion. It’s about saying, inclusion is important, but more than that, it’s saying ‘this is how we’re going to address inclusivity, and this is what it means for us.’ Your club should have mechanisms to deliver on these statements and show how you are actively advocating for inclusion and accessibility.  

At a local sporting club, the responsibility for policy creation, implementation, and oversight typically falls to the club’s Committee or Board of Directors. Creating a policy at your local sports club involves several steps to ensure it is clear, relevant, and has the support of the club members. 

This typically includes:   

  • Reviewing and understand the club’s rules 
  • Compiling these rules into an official document 
  • Holding regular meetings to make administrative decisions  

 

Quick tip: Here’s a few examples of sports club policy and how you could go about implementing it at your club. 

7. Opportunities  

Your sports club should provide different opportunities for people of all abilities to have a go. By providing a range of options for involvement, you will engage more people and build a positive environment. An example of this would be providing opportunities for athletes with disability to be part of your club committee with a leading role.  

Novita client Chloe states that everyone should be able to participate in the sport of their choosing. A keen frame-runner, Chloe had to go through many obstacles before she was able to find a sport that she enjoyed. Now Chloe has built up the strength and endurance to participate in many competitions and races. 

Opportunities don’t just have to be about the types of sports offered, though. Inclusive sporting clubs should offer athletes with disability opportunities for leadership or a role they are passionate about in the club. By giving people the chance to thrive, you will also see great results for your club.

Conclusion: 

What are you waiting for? Inclusivity is a great way to build a great sports club with a thriving and positive community. Athletes of all abilities should be able to have fun, get active, stay healthy and most importantly – participate. 

If you are feeling like you need some support, please get in contact with us on 1300 668 482 or [email protected].

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