CR Journal

One of the biggest challenges clubs face in dealing with either of these matters is that everyone usually knows everyone. Then there is the gossip and social media that goes with the territory of people being nosey, taking sides or just weighing in generally because they can.

In the minds of many, doping and match-fixing continue today to be the most concerning areas of sports integrity that threaten Australian sport from grassroots to the elite. Each was considered in-depth in a comprehensive review of Australia’s sports integrity threat environment led by former NSW Supreme Court judge, Justice James Wood AO QC.

This year, sport and activism have been brought together on a scale that is unlike anything many of us have ever seen before. But what can we learn from this moment when it comes to our community clubs? Actually, quite a lot.

First the bushfires, then the ongoing global pandemic and resulting stringent lockdowns – 2020 has not been ‘the year’ for Victorian sport and sport coaches. Sports club communities have been affected emotionally and economically.

18 September 2020: Brian Phelan (BP) and Peter Robinson (Robbo) started working together at Melbourne Storm just over thirteen years ago. Melbourne Storm was in the process of setting up a player wellbeing program and figured the pair were just the right fit.

It is an unsettling time for sport clubs as we start to reimagine how our players will train and if they will play any competitive matches in 2020. It's also the perfect time to think about how our clubs might look when we start back up again.

The lycra-powered energy of Aerobics Oz Style dominated our free-to-air TV’s in the 90’s. A couple of decades on and the craze of home workouts have come back with a vengeance, with brand new ‘motivators’ urging us to flex-and-stretch our way to fitness.

19 March 2019: For the NRL it's been a disastrous off season, with allegations of violence against women reaching crisis levels. North Queensland's Ben Barba received a lifetime ban after a video emerged of him allegedly assaulting his partner at a Townsville casino during the Australia Day weekend.

Marina Go was staggered when she realised the sheer volume of sex videos of rugby league players doing the rounds on social media. The former chairwoman of the Wests Tigers remembers how the moment came in a casual conversation last year with one of the club's coaches.

24 October 2018: Club Respect co-founders Mary Crooks AO (Victorian Women's Trust) and Paul Zappa spoke to Guardian Australia about our latest initiative Club Respect and how it will equip clubs to become places of respect and fair play.