Cr Michael Clarke
From recreational kickabouts and community sport at local clubs, to watching professional matches at Melbourne’s iconic stadiums, sport is deeply ingrained in Australian culture – it is a shared experience that unites our community in their passion and love for the game.
Historically, sport has promoted and reinforced social values such as resilience, mateship and a sense of fair play.
Today, I’m seeing more sporting clubs influence the communities they are part of to address issues like racism, bullying and gender inequality. Beyond physical health benefits, organised sport can be a vehicle for wellbeing, tolerance, and social cohesion.
For young people, community sport provides valuable social opportunities such as being part of a team, making friends and having fun.
These social aspects can play a role in supporting their mental and social wellbeing, and help foster a sense of belonging.
As a council, we provide many opportunities for an active and healthy lifestyle – like maintenance of facilities and sports fields, organised sport, and informal activities at parks, courts, and skate parks.
Partnering with key organisations enables us to deliver programs like Active Maribyrnong, and Sons and Daughters of the West, all of which provide very real benefits for our community.
With our growing population, meeting the demand for increased infrastructure and recreational resources for local clubs remains a challenge. Through council’s advocacy efforts, we’ve developed partnerships with the federal and state governments to help us deliver initiatives that open up a range of opportunities on and off the field, such as the lighting upgrade at Hansen Reserve and the Henry Turner South Reserve Pavilion redevelopment.
Through conversations with local groups and clubs, council has put forward a Fair Access Policy to the community for feedback, which looks at ways to improve access to, and use of, all community sport infrastructure by women and girls in the community.
Embracing sportspersonship and values of acceptance and inclusion through organised sport is one way we can break down cultural barriers in society, leading to an overall sense of individual and collective, social wellbeing.
