The Angaston Football and Netball Clubs are “getting on the front foot” when it comes to providing support for mental health and well-being for their players, coaches, supporters and anyone else affiliated with the clubs.
The ‘Angaston A Team’ committee was formed in April this year in response to a recognised need to provide information and ongoing positive support within the clubs, and foster a sense of safety, belonging and friendship.
“I think people are looking for that little bit of extra support for some of the issues that are arise in the community,” said committee member, Dr Bill Gransbury.
“Research that we’ve done shows that the key points are mental health, and drug and alcohol awareness and building resilience against those issues that do crop up.”
Angaston Football Club President, Mr Keith Jamieson, recognises that sporting clubs aren’t immune to challenges, and is pleased the A Team is taking a lead in creating awareness.
“We like to think that people participating in a sports club makes them a bit more resilient to getting involved in these things, but we know that we’re not completely isolated from it,” he said.
“So it’s getting on the front foot, particularly with our younger people, letting them know that if in the future they’ve got to make a decision, we’ve given them as much information as we can to make the right one.”
Being in its early stages, the committee will continue to gather and assess feedback from players and the sporting community to decide how to best shape their efforts going forward.
“We’re first in the Association to have this sort of activity going on so maybe other clubs might follow suit if they see what we’re doing is a good thing,” said Dr Gransbury.
“But certainly there are awareness resources out there, so if we can facilitate those resources coming to our town or the Barossa region as a whole... we can try to make a difference.”
The A Team committee is made up of seven members who perform various roles across the two clubs.
Working alongside Dr Gransbury and Mr Jamieson are Ms Briony Lowke, Ms Lisa Dowling, Mr Craig Schultz, Mr Stuart Bourne, and Ms Jenni Kubisch.