Sports Central will again partner with the Tackle Your Feelings program to make mental health training available to community coaches at football netball clubs in 2022.
Tackle Your Feelings is a free mental health training program for community coaches, as well as committee members and other club support staff.
The program is delivered by a local psychologist and aims to help participants gain the tools to understand, recognise and respond to signs of mental ill-health in their players.
In 2021, the program was delivered to more than 4,000 community coaches from 352 clubs across every Australian state and territory, including those associated with Sports Central. Congratulations to Daylesford Football Netball Club, Gordon Football Netball Club, North Ballarat Football Netball Club, Redan Football Netball Club and Skipton Football Netball Club for participating.
You can view a snapshot of the program in 2021 here.
More about the program
The program was inspired by mental health education developed for AFL professional coaches and players, consisting of a face-to-face presentation from a local psychologist and additional online learning.
Tackle Your Feelings ambassadors Leon Cameron, Alastair Clarkson, Nathan Buckley, Neville Jetta, Kara Antonio and Dylan Buckley also feature throughout the video content within the program.
The program was formed by the AFL Coaches Association, AFL Players’ Association and Zurich Insurance in 2018, after the tragic death of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh three years earlier.
The program was evaluated by Monash University in 2021.
How your club can get involved
Sports Central will facilitate Tackle Your Feelings sessions with football netball clubs throughout the Central Highlands during the 2022 season.
Once participants complete the training (workshop and online modules) they will have access to resources including blogs, podcasts and videos to assist with their ongoing learning. Participating clubs are eligible for the Tackle Your Feelings rewards program, which includes footballs, equipment and access to program ambassadors.
If your club wishes to get involved please register your interest by contacting Andrew Milligan on 5331 6966 (ext. 102) or andrewm@sportscentral.org.au.