Sports Focus

Last week, Sports Focus Project Coordinator Sophie Bickford attended Scope (Aust) Bendigo’s Balloon Football Grand Final at BSL - Red Energy Arena Bendigo. Sophie spoke with Maggie Gleisner, Coordinator of Scope’s Day Program at Eaglehawk about their balloon football program, how important partnerships are when creating all-abilities opportunities, and the benefits to the participants. What benefits do you witness the participants gaining from participating in Balloon Football? “There are so many benefits that I witness. The social benefits are huge, the participants get to socialise with children from Catherine McAuley College, and other participants with varying disabilities. They also get the social aspects from being active in the community. With Balloon Football being competitive it also benefits the participants to not be playing watered-down sports. They learn to accept loss, and they get to be treated like any other athlete in a competitive sporting team.” Are there any highlights over the past season of Balloon Football that stand out to you? “I’ve seen players who started off quite shy and reserved really come out of their shell and open up, and create new friendships. This highlight extends to the kids from Catherine McAuley College too, they’ve become so much more confident with their involvement, and it’s really beneficial for them to be exposed to alternate career paths in social services.” How valuable is it to provide all-abilities opportunities in sport? “Extremely important, there are no second thoughts to answering that question. It helps to promote all aspects of their wellbeing and helps people with disabilities feel more connected and involved in the community via sport teams and leagues.” Such a great reminder in the importance of inclusive sports, and their significant benefits to entire community.

Paul Colbert, lead of our Community Sport Partnerships (CSP) Program, will be hosting a workshop later this month surrounding how to be an effective club secretary. This face-to-face workshop will help to equip your club secretary with the information and tools they require to be as effective as possible. There will be a focus on the role and obligations of a club secretary, and ways that they can streamline their practices and processes. Register through the QR code, or the link attached within the event. We hope to see you there!

Yesterday our Sailability Bendigo Program kicked off its 2024/2025 season! Developed in partnership with Bendigo Yacht Club, Cairn Curran Sailing Club and Sports Focus, Sailability Bendigo has been running for over 15 years now! Our Sailability program is dedicated to providing individuals with a disability the chance to learn to sail in a fun, safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. Supported by our passionate and enthusiastic volunteers, the program would not be successful without their hard work, motivation, and contribution to the community. The program often has returning participants each season, with some traveling a considerable distance to be involved, demonstrating the love, need and demand for such an opportunity. Sailing provides a real sense of freedom to the participants, providing wheelchair-using participants the chance to get out of their wheelchairs, and enjoy the peaceful water with their co-sailor. The day was filled with smiles, and an incredibly positive atmosphere. With the Sailability Bendigo season running until March, follow this link if you'd like to be involved https://bit.ly/3AT9gkL

2024 Sailability Bendigo volunteer training day! Sailability Bendigo is dedicated to providing individuals with a disability the chance to learn to sail in a fun, safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. Developed in collaboration with the Bendigo Yacht Club, Cairn Curran Sailing Club and Sports Focus, Sailability is supported by a team of dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate volunteers. A highly loved and often booked-out program, Sailability Bendigo often has participants traveling from all around regional Victoria to be involved in the opportunity to get outdoors, get on the water, and for some, out of their wheelchairs. Today we held our training day, ensuring our equipment is ready, risk management plans are in place, and operating procedures are understood, ready for our season to kick off next Wednesday the 4th of September!

Through our Community Sport Partnerships program, we aim to support local, grassroots sporting clubs to be the best they can be - whether that be by supporting your club to communicate better with your members, or by helping you to organise your committee meetings. Let us take some pressure off your valuable volunteers, streamline processes and upskill. https://bit.ly/3WRim8S

On the 19th of August, Sports Focus presented an Inclusive Clubs Workshop to Bendigo & District Table Tennis Association and Bendigo Eaglehawk Badminton Association. Sophie Bickford, Project Coordinator- Program Delivery & Digital Communications, and Laura Bradley, Community Development & Partnerships Lead co-delivered the workshop to the two clubs. The workshop aims to empower clubs and provide them with the knowledge and skills to become more inclusive- in turn creating greater opportunities for people with disabilities within sport. Utilising evidence, real-life examples, and the 7 Pillars of Inclusion Model developed by Play by the Rules, the workshop guides club volunteers, committee members and club members in developing and promoting their own all-abilities programs, identify areas they could improve their inclusion (such as communication, access and policies), and provoke thought about introducing new modified opportunities to their sport. Delivering the Inclusive Clubs Workshop is funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria through their Together More Active funding, enabling Sports Focus to deliver the Access for All Abilities program across the Loddon Campaspe region. Reflecting on the workshop, Sophie said “It’s so fantastic to see sporting clubs making a conscious effort to improve their inclusion, and move towards building their club into a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all abilities. This workshop is a great place to start, along with the array of additional ongoing support we can offer clubs through their journey of inclusion”.

Sports Focus was proud to support the Karen Organisation of Bendigo’s Futsal Tournament last weekend! With 160 players within 16 teams from Bendigo and across the state, and hundreds of supporters, it was a fantastic community event. Sports Focus’ Project Coordinator Jo Cahill said “This was a great opportunity to work with the Karen Organisation of Bendigo and Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services, bringing the community together to showcase the skills of young Karen and Hazara futsal players. The games were intense and the support from the crowd was amazing.” Jo’s role, funded by Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), is to increase opportunities for young people to be active in sport, recreation and play. Great job to all of the teams and players involved!

Sports Focus is thrilled to collaborate with Bendigo Community Health Services (BCHS) in supporting the Bendigo Rowing Club’s efforts to welcome and include our local Karen community. Earlier this year, the club successfully ran a learn-to-row program for the Karen community. With continued support from Sports Focus and BCHS, the club aims to offer more opportunities during the 2024/2025 season. To express their gratitude, participants have presented a signed Karen flag, which will be proudly displayed in the Bendigo Rowing clubrooms. Laura Bradley, Community Development & Partnerships Lead at Sport Focus worked on this program, and said “rowing is a completely new and unfamiliar sport to the Karen community, so witnessing the growth of both the participants and the club coaches has been a true privilege. I am excited to offer ongoing support to the club as they continue on their cultural inclusion journey”

On Tuesday the 23rd of July we held our second come & try All-Abilities wheelchair basketball session. Developed by a partnership between Sophie Bickford, Project Coordinator at Sports Focus and Cassidy McLean, Basketball Development Coordinator at BSL - Red Energy Arena Bendigo, the come & try sessions were aiming to identify if there was a need for an All-Abilities wheelchair basketball opportunity in Bendigo. After great success during the first session, it was no surprise when the second session also had fantastic participation numbers! Caleb Logan and Cassidy McLean again coached the session, maintaining the flexible and fun-focused atmosphere that participants loved from the first session. Due to the success of the come & try sessions, we are excited to announce a permanent opportunity for the remainder of term 3! Every Tuesday from 10:30am-12pm there will now be All-Abilities wheelchair basketball, for $10 per session, at the Red Energy Arena Bendigo. Everyone of all ages and abilities are welcome to attend, wheelchairs will continue to be provided, and an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment is assured.

Sports Focus was pleased to support the Kangaroo Flat Karen Baptist Church (KFKBC) Karen soccer tournament last weekend! The KFKBC Youth Team hosted this event at White Hills Primary School Oval. There were 14 teams participating from Bendigo’s Karen community across both male and female divisions, and a fantastic crowd of supporters and volunteers cheering them on. While some of the 140 players are part of local soccer clubs and play regularly, many have been training just for this tournament- a chance to come together with friends, play the game they love, and be connected with the community. Jo Cahill, Project Coordinator at Sports Focus said “this was a great event, and I am proud to be involved. The atmosphere was fantastic, with a genuine sense of community and enjoyment, true sportsmanship, and impressive skills on display." This event was made possible through a Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) grant to purchase sporting equipment for community use. For more information on how Sports Focus can support your club or group to increase youth participation in sport, recreation and play, follow this link: https://lnkd.in/gZC7cchN