Drysdale continue to push the Road Safety Message

The TAC Club Rewards Program gives Victorian grassroots Football and Netball Clubs the opportunity to earn a share of $600,000 in funding, by participating in their mission; to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

With road safety round this week, AFL Barwon is looking back at one of the local AFL Barwon Clubs that received funding from the program in 2022 and 2023.

Drysdale Football Netball Club will be submitting an application to the program again this year with the aim to ‘play their role’ as a Community Club, to keep encouraging safe driving on our roads.

The 2024 TAC Club Rewards Program focuses on the key issue of speeding. Around 236 Victorians are killed on the road each year, with excessive or inappropriate speed a contributing factor in many crashes.

Kerry Bell from Drysdale FNC highlighted the importance of road safety to them as a community, and the reasoning behind their ongoing support for the initiative. “We’ve got a lot of members impacted by road trauma. And it is important that we stop players, coaches, and officials from rushing to and from training and games.”

In March 2010, the club lost one of their junior members, 19-year-old Luke Robinson in a tragic car accident on Anakie Road. Bell described Luke as “Very responsible, he would always offer his teammates lifts home, it was just very unfortunate. His story shows how things can change in a moment, but the really impactful part is the ripple effect not just on the individual but on their families, friends, and their clubs as a whole.”

The tragic Luke Robinson example is just one of Drysdale FNC’s stories that fuels their passion for the cause and highlights this year’s focusses of speeding and cautious driving on all roads.

In previous years, Drysdale FNC has put the funding they have received towards two key issues which are of great importance to their club.

The funding from the 2022 successful application allowed them to launch their “community inclusive” junior umpire academy, providing opportunities for local youth to learn about and experience umpiring “In a fully supported environment.” The funding provided the participants with brand new whistles, uniforms, and even the opportunity to be paid to take part in the program.

In 2023, the focus for the club turned to mental health and wellbeing in their community and ensuring that their members are looked after. The grant provided funding for new wellbeing support and tools. Drysdale FNC worked with Mindful Aus, who provide guest speakers and workshops all around the country, centred around youth mental health and empowerment. “The benefits have been amazing; we really want to continue doing these things for our youth” Kerrie expressed.

The club’s key messaging to their junior members around road safety, is based on three common causes of road accidents: Distracted driving, drink driving, and speeding. For the last few years, the club has made it compulsory for youth ages to attend all education sessions on road safety. Their outlook being “Even if it saves one 18-year-old, it's worth it.”

This year, if successful, the club would love to put the money towards a new digital database which players and club staff can use to log and track player’s injuries. A job which the club has previously been doing on paper, Kerrie described database as a way to ease the burden on club trainers and team managers by allowing them to log, follow up and track the history and progress of a player’s injury.

Heading into TAC Road Safety Round, Drysdale FNC has invited all of its Club’s Life Members to attend and be involved with the club’s key messaging around safe driving. “The messaging is to jump onboard, and get behind the cause, tell us your stories, they are very on board with it.”