Band Together & Slow Down: TAC Road Safety Round

Every weekend across Victoria, thousands of people travel to support their local football and netball teams.

Most make it home safely. Tragically though, not everyone does.

That message is integral to the TAC’s Road Safety Round, which returns this weekend.

The TAC is for an eighth straight year calling on football and netball players from across Victoria to ‘Band Together’ in the name of road safety.

The campaign follows a year which saw 288 people tragically lose their lives on Victorian roads, an increase of four lives lost from 2024.

While the statistic is a sobering reminder, it also highlights the need for campaigns such as Road Safety Round.

AFL Victoria CEO Greg Madigan believes local football and netball clubs play a critical role in promoting the common goal of road safety to it's members.

“Footy and netball clubs are such focal points in the community with enormous capacities for driving social impact and we can have a huge impact if we unite behind a common goal,” Madigan said.

“It gives us all cause to stop and assess what we can do to contribute to safer roads."

One local sporting club with an emphasis on creating safer roads is the Western Eagles FNC in the Colac & District FNL.

Western Eagles committee member Kess Duynhoven says the campaign resonates strongly with the their younger members.

“We've got a lot of that age group of learners to 28-year-olds, so it's just been a good campaign to get the message out to that age group,” Duynhoven said.

“I think people are becoming more aware of it. I know that we're really trying to push it with the club and encouraging your mates to look after your mates."

Looking after one another extends beyond the sporting field, with the campaign encouraging everyone to take responsibility for getting each other home safely.

For many country clubs such as the Western Eagles, where players and supporters often have to travel significant distances every weekend, road safety remains a constant focus. 

“I think it's kind of always gonna be around, isn't it?” Duynhoven adds.

So, this weekend while people across the state pull on their club colours and catch up with teammates, the TAC’s Road Safety Round serves as a clear reminder that good decision making doesn’t just happen on the field.

It also happens on the road.

And it starts with slowing down so everyone gets home safely.