Football and netball clubs across Victoria have a powerful opportunity to start road safety conversations — and local community support can help make it happen. Grassroots football and netball clubs have always been about more than sport.
They are where young people build confidence, where parents volunteer, where coaches become mentors, and where important conversations happen long after training or game day.
That is why the TAC Club Rewards Program 2026 is such a valuable opportunity for local clubs across Victoria.
The program gives AFL Victoria-affiliated football and netball clubs the chance to promote road safety in their community, while also applying for funding that can strengthen their club. In 2026, clubs can apply for a share of $700,000, with eligible clubs able to receive up to $10,000.
But the real value of the program is not just the funding. It is the conversations it can start.
For many young players, the club is one of the most trusted places in their life. It is where they listen to coaches, look up to senior players, and feel part of something bigger than themselves.
That makes clubs a powerful place to talk about driving, speed, distraction, alcohol, tiredness, peer pressure, safe lifts, and speaking up when something does not feel right.
These are not just country or suburban issues. They affect families across Melbourne, including communities like Toorak, where many young people are beginning to drive, getting lifts with friends, heading to sport, social events, school functions and late-night gatherings.
At Safe Roads For Us, we have seen the impact these conversations can have through our work with many football and netball clubs across Victoria. Our lived-experience sessions are not lectures. They are honest conversations about choices, mates, pressure, risk and making it home.
This year, we have also been able to partner with Community Banks to help bring these talks into more local clubs. That local support matters because it connects clubs, families, businesses, banks and community safety around one shared goal: helping young people make safer choices.
For Toorak families, business owners and community-minded supporters, this is where there is a real opportunity to help.
A sponsored road safety session can give a local club access to a conversation they may not otherwise be able to afford. It can support young players, parents, volunteers and families with practical messages that stay with them well beyond the season. It is also a meaningful way for local businesses and supporters to back grassroots sport while contributing to a safer community.
Safe Roads For Us also has free road safety content clubs can start using straight away, including social media posts, conversation starters and simple club-friendly messages to help get the road safety conversation moving.
Watch the short Safe Roads For Us video on this page to see why these conversations matter for young people, families and grassroots clubs.
When a club takes road safety seriously, the message goes beyond the players.
It reaches parents.
It reaches volunteers.
It reaches teammates.
And it can stay with a young person at the exact moment they need it most. Because a strong club is not just one that wins games. It is one that helps its people get home safely.
Clubs, families, local businesses or community supporters wanting free road safety content, support with TAC Club Rewards activity, player sessions, parent engagement or sponsorship-supported talks can contact Safe Roads For Us or book a short call here:
https://tidycal.com/3q2vjgj
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