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The Sports Club Accreditation program recognises and rewards clubs that provide a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all players, spectators, and volunteers while fulfilling their obligations.

This is a free program for sports clubs that consists of 3 accreditation levels. Involvement in the program is voluntary, and the criteria and evidence required for each level is listed on this page.

You can find out which clubs have achieved accreditation on our Accredited sports clubs page.

How to apply

Please note: Applications are now closed.

Before you begin your application, please read through the accreditation criteria and take note of the evidence and supporting documentation that you need to prepare for each level of accreditation you want to apply for.

You can apply for more than one level of accreditation in the one application.

To participate in the program, you must apply during the annual application period. This period takes place during September to December each year.

You will be asked to demonstrate how your club is meeting the selection criteria set out for each level of accreditation by providing evidence, including supporting documentation.

Apply for accreditation

After submissions close, we will assess applications between December 2023 and January 2024. We will let you know the outcome of your application in February 2024.

If your club is successful with their application, you will be accredited at that level for 2 years. To maintain or increase your level of accreditation, your club will need to reapply for the program when your two-year certification period finishes. If your club wishes to increase your level of accreditation during the two-year certification period, you are welcome to reapply during the annual application period.

Increasing your level of accreditation

If you are a Bronze or Silver accredited club and wish to increase your level of accreditation, you need to reapply for accreditation at the higher level. You can reapply through the same form as your original application.

To be successfully accredited at the higher level for 2024–25, you will need to meet all the requirements of that level which are listed on this page.

Reapply to increase your club's level of accreditation

Bronze accreditation

Bronze accreditation is for clubs that meet their regular reporting requirements and obligations under their lease/licence agreement, such as annual report and public liability certificate.

Benefits

The benefits of bronze accreditation are:

  • An official certificate acknowledging the level of accreditation achieved
  • Accreditation collateral to use in your club promotions to showcase your involvement and level of accreditation
  • Accredited clubs will be well-placed to attract grant funding
  • Accredited clubs will be prioritised to take part in community participation initiatives
  • Club name listed on our website for achieving an accreditation.

Requirements for accreditation

For bronze accreditation, you need to:

  • Ensure a Working with Children Check is held by club employees and volunteers, as required under the Worker Screening Act 2020
  • Distribute our fortnightly Club Update newsletter to committee and club members. Email [email protected] to subscribe to the Club Update.

You are required to submit the following documents to our Booking system (IMS) website:

  • Current public liability insurance certificate ($20 million coverage)
  • Club participation data for the 2022/23 financial year or your previous season (seasonal clubs only)
  • Financial report for the 2022/23 financial year
  • Liquor licence (if applicable)
  • Certificate of Registration, under the Food Act 1984 (applicable if operating a canteen).

You will also need to submit the following documents as part of your application for accreditation:

  • Annual General Meeting (AGM) minutes from your club’s most recent AGM
  • Welcoming/induction procedure for new members
  • Child Safe Policy and/or Child Protection Policy, incorporating a ‘Statement of commitment to child safety’. Your State Sport Association may have a Child Safe Policy you can adopt, or you can use templates provided as resources below.

Bronze accreditation resources

On the ClubHelp website, you can access resources on the following topics:

  • Budget Templates
  • Organising a great AGM
  • Online AGM Tips
  • Ideas for your Welcoming Kit
  • Welcoming Officer Role Description.

The following resources are also available to assist with your application for bronze accreditation:

Silver accreditation

Silver accreditation is for clubs that:

  • Meet bronze accreditation criteria
  • Implement specific policies and actions that are inclusive and focus on capacity building and providing a safe environment for their members and community. These include a Code of Conduct, Fair Access Policy, and Volunteer Policy.

Benefits

The benefits of silver accreditation are:

  • All the bronze level accreditation benefits
  • Club name included in promotional content about the accreditation program on City of Boroondara communication channels, including the Boroondara Bulletin and social media.

Requirements for accreditation

For silver accreditation, you need to:

  • Conduct a member survey annually
  • Have club representatives attend at least two forums or workshops annually
  • Have registered for the Good Sports Program on the Good Sports website and have completed the online questionnaire
  • Use 2 communication channels for your club to communicate with members and the wider community. Evidence can include links to the club’s website, newsletters or social media pages.
  • Have applied for a community grant and/or ran ‘come and try activities’ in the last 2 years to support ongoing participation at the club. Evidence of this could include links to club website or social media posts of the event or successful grant application. This could also extend to the club’s involvement in other Council initiatives.

You will also need to submit the following documents as part of your application for accreditation:

  • Meeting Ground Rules
  • Code of conduct that covers players, coaches, volunteers, and spectators
  • Inclusion Assessment
  • Fair Access Policy
  • Social Media Policy
  • Sponsorship Policy
  • Volunteer Policy
  • Healthy Eating and Drink Policy (if your club runs a canteen)
  • Any documents relating to community grants or come and try activities your club has hosted. Evidence may include copies of grant applications, acknowledgement letters from funding bodies, and marketing collateral.

Silver accreditation resources

The following resources are available to assist with your application for silver accreditation.

On the ClubHelp website, you can access resources on the following topics:

  • A Member survey template
  • Planning for grants
  • Tips for Using Social Media and Online Communication
  • Sample use of Social Media Policy and Procedures
  • A Newsletter template
  • A Sample website layout
  • Tips for Effective Website Design
  • Sample Meeting Ground Rules
  • Sample Codes of Conduct
  • Sample Committee Code of Conduct
  • Sample Sponsorship Policy
  • Sample Volunteer Policy
  • Healthy Eating.

The following resources are also available to assist with your application for silver accreditation:

Download our Sport and Recreation Inclusion Guide

  Boroondara Sport and Recreation Inclusion Guide 5.82 MB [PDF] 22 February 2024

Clubs should complete our Sport and Recreation Inclusion Assessment after reading the Sport and Recreation Inclusion Guide. No matter what stage of the inclusion journey your club is at, we encourage you to complete this assessment.

This is a self-assessment tool to understand how clubs measure up against The 7 Pillars of Inclusion developed by Play by the Rules.

Download our Sport and Recreation Inclusion Assessment

  Boroondara Sport and Recreation Inclusion Assessment 556.2 KB [PDF] 22 February 2024

Gold accreditation

Gold accreditation is for clubs that:

  • meet bronze and silver accreditation criteria
  • proactively live by their policies and can demonstrate significant development and positive outcomes for their club and local community.

Benefits

The benefits of gold accreditation are:

  • All the bronze and silver level accreditation benefits
  • Gold accredited clubs will be announced at the annual Boroondara Sports Club Awards
  • Gold accredited clubs will be positioned as leaders of community sport within Boroondara
  • Gold accredited clubs will be highly regarded for providing a safe and inclusive environment where everyone is welcome. Clubs can leverage this to attract new members, volunteers, and sponsors by promoting your gold level accreditation to the community using the promotional collateral provided.

Requirements for accreditation

For gold accreditation you need to:

  • Have developed a Strategic Plan and provide examples of how your club is implementing the plan.
  • Have developed an Inclusion Action Plan and provide examples of how your club is actively implementing recommendations.
  • Be able to show your club understands current community demographics and can identify barriers to participation in sport, volunteering, coaching and committee positions at your club.
  • Proactively implement actions to support diversity and inclusion across the club, and provide examples of proactive measures your club has in place to remove barriers to participation and promote a welcoming and inclusive environment at your club.
  • Actively promote a welcoming and inclusive club culture by participating in events such as the Pride Round, Indigenous Round and White Ribbon Round, or hold an event that supports a local charity or cause. Evidence can include examples of these events with links to your club’s website or social media featuring information about these event/s.
  • Provide fair and equitable participation opportunities. Evidence can include describing how teams are provided equal allocation to the best facilities or to prime playing time, rotating fixtures that cover both genders, and a Club Team Selection Policy or Fair Access Policy.
  • Promote your activities and the benefits of participation to the wider community. Photos and images your club uses in promotions should be reflective of our diverse community. Evidence can include links to relevant promotions.
  • Share updates on your social media platforms at least once a fortnight. Evidence can include links to your club’s social media pages and posts.
  • Have club sponsors advertised on your club’s social media platforms. Your sponsors can include local businesses. Evidence can include a list of your current club sponsors or provide a link to the page where sponsors are listed on your club’s website.
  • Show that your club partners with a school and/or local community group to run a program or activity that focuses on participation or social inclusion. Evidence can include examples of these program/s or activity/s including the name of all schools and/or groups that participate, the type of activity, and when it was held.
  • Show that your club formally acknowledges volunteers. You need to provide examples of how your club does this.
  • Show that your club responds to and implements member survey concerns and suggestions annually. Evidence can include key learnings from recent member surveys and what actions your club has taken to respond to feedback.
  • Show that your club hosts at least 2 health-related forums or workshops for members and the community each year. Topics covered can include mental health, sports betting, illicit substances, and cultural awareness training. Evidence can include a list of the forums and workshops your club has held, the topics covered and event details.

You will also need to submit the following documents as part of your application for accreditation:

  • Club Strategic Plan
  • Inclusion Action Plan
  • Documents relating to your club’s support for a local charity or cause and support for a welcoming community. For example, marketing collateral and photos for a Pride Round.  
  • Team Selection Policy (if applicable)
  • Volunteer Coordinator position description
  • Roles and responsibilities of volunteers
  • Evidence of the club’s Gold Medal accreditation with the Good Sports program
  • A copy of the club’s food and drinks classification system (if your club runs a canteen).

Gold accreditation resources

The following resources are available to assist with your application for gold accreditation.

On the ClubHelp website you can access resources on the following topics:

  • Strategic planning flyer
  • Strategic plan template
  • Interview tips
  • Do’s and Don'ts of media releases
  • Media release tips
  • Sample sponsorship policy
  • Working with schools
  • Acknowledging volunteers ideas
  • Sample Volunteer Coordinator role description
  • Volunteer resources

The following resources are also available to assist with your application for gold accreditation:

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