Adrian Barich: Investing in local footy pays huge dividends in social value to our communities

Next week is a really important time for a sporting club that is very close to my heart.

I’m desperately hoping that the Town of Victoria Park ticks off on a new $25 million dollar facility at Mineral Resources Park (MRP) in Lathlain, which will serve the local community for the next 50 years.

My WAFL club Perth has been housed in the old grandstand at MRP since 1959 and with the support of the State Government and the local council, we could be about to embark on an exciting new era.

This will sound a bit over the top but the Perth Football Club could be about to complete its transformation from “just” a footy club to a broad based community “enabler”.

Football, for both men and women, is what we “play” but we do far more than that for our local community.

I can tell you that in my role as president of the Perth Football Club, I’m acutely aware of the social return on investment that a project like this represents.

A landmark 12 month study by La Trobe University in Victoria found that for every $1 spent on community footy, there is at least a $4.40 return in social value to the community.

The study found that footy clubs increased social connectedness, wellbeing, and mental health status; employment outcomes; personal development; physical health; civic pride and support of other community groups.

Does that sound like a good deal or what?!

And I can personally attest to the transformative effect of a sporting club. I’ve witnessed young boys and girls from tough backgrounds learn discipline, teamwork, accountability and responsibility. And much of it flows from just a simple sense of belonging.

The youngsters start their footy journey feeling disconnected from school and their community and often end up being part of a team and club that helps them grow into incredible human beings.

The rise of female participation in organised footy has also seen an increase in demand for appropriate facilities. When the change rooms were built at Lathlain 65 years ago, of course the designers only catered to men.

And you know what that means ? One toilet, one urinal and open showers. And so, just like there is a need to provide access for people with disabilities, modern change rooms need to focus on safety and privacy for all.

The days of our young women having to try and work with facilities clearly designed for men are gone.

As then prime minister Scott Morrison once said government wanted to “ensure that girls didn’t have to change out the back of the shed”.

Our job isn’t done until the place we create helps the way people live and connect with each other, so they truly feel they belong.

Because, as you may know, you’re always welcome at a footy club — it doesn’t matter who you are or what your background is.

And the stats show a football club’s reach is significant. For every one player, football clubs can reach 10 people in their community, generating increased civic pride.

We also provide young people aged 15-24, with significantly increased chances of securing employment, via the social networks provided by the club. The La Trobe study also found the mental health of people aged 18-24 who are associated with a football club is substantially higher than the general population.

Plus I’ve noticed sponsors typically support grassroots football clubs to help them deliver community benefits, rather than for commercial gain.

Football club leaders, on and off the field, are considered community role models.

I can guarantee from my club’s perspective, any multipurpose centre that gets built at MRP will support a diverse range of activities and events.

Sporting clubs in our great State are super important to the fabric of our community.

I was up in Newman recently and I can tell you that the community connections in our mining towns are often held together by sport.

It’s not only a social outlet but there are considerable benefits in social capital, learning, personal development and the discipline of playing and contribution to volunteer-based sports clubs.

And guess what: almost everyone I know in Newman does some form of voluntary work.

I’ve said this before: I have total admiration for our “vollies”. They are the glue that holds our society together.

A vast unpaid army (that blokes in positions like mine couldn’t live without) that make their local community a better place.

To Barra-phrase a famous quote, volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy because when you volunteer, you’re voting with your feet on the kind of community you want to live in.