Footballers and netballers to honour lives lost on our roads

Thousands of footballers and netballers from grassroots to AFL level will don blue armbands this week to show their commitment to road safety and honour people who have lost their lives on Victorian roads.

AFL ambassadors and leaders Darcy Moore and Patrick Dangerfield have teamed up with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) to launch this year’s Road Safety Round and help prevent road trauma.

Moore today joined the TAC, AFL Victoria and local football and netball representatives to kick off the round at the MCG, against a sombre backdrop of 284 highlighted seats, representing the number of lives lost last year – a feature that will return during the upcoming AFL round.

Today’s launch comes during the worst year on Victorian roads in a decade. The majority of fatalities have occurred in regional areas—where players, coaches, and volunteers have a reliance on their vehicles and regularly travel long distances for games and training.

"Speeding continues to be a major contributor to road trauma. Partnering with grassroots clubs allows us to reach Victorians where they live, play, and connect, embedding road safety into everyday life and driving real behavioural change," TAC CEO Tracey Slatter said.

The TAC is partnering with AFL Victoria for a seventh season to deliver Road Safety Round. This year, the spotlight is on speeding—a leading cause of more than 30% of fatal crashes and 25% of serious injury crashes in Victoria.

The AFL’s 10 Victorian-based teams will support more than 1000 regional and suburban AFL Victoria-affiliated clubs who will wear blue armbands in games to demonstrate a commitment to ‘Band Together’ for safer roads. Players and supporters are encouraged to ‘Be the Difference’ through peer-to-peer conversations about road safety and foster a culture of responsibility in their communities.

"Local football and netball clubs are more than just sporting hubs – they're trusted voices in their communities. By leading conversations about safe driving and the dangers of speeding, they're helping to protect the very people who rely on them week in, week out," Ms Slatter said.

AFL clubs Hawthorn and Carlton will kick the round off on Thursday night, with road safety messaging on both teams’ pre-game banners and in the match record. Off the field, Moore and Dangerfield will star in powerful videos played across social media and on the big screens at Marvel Stadium and the MCG during the round. Grassroots clubs will also plan their own Road Safety Round activities, ensuring the road safety message reaches local fans, players and families across Victoria.

“Road Safety Round is now a fixture in the community footy calendar, and its impact goes far beyond the field. When players, coaches, and volunteers wear the armband, they send a powerful message of unity and commitment to the community,” Head of AFL Victoria Greg Madigan said.

Visit tac.vic.gov.au/bandtogether for more information about Road Safety Round.