Major events like the Commonwealth Games are a timely reminder that our sporting community is about more than medals. It needs to be safe.
Australia is now in the midst of the “green and gold decade”, a historic ten‑year pipeline of major global sporting events hosted on Australian soil, culminating in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Australian Government’s Sport Horizon, National Sport Strategy 2024–2034 (“Sport Horizon”) sets a clear vision that emphasises inclusion, integrity, member protection and safety as the foundations for participation and performance. This national focus brings with it a clear expectation that sporting environments, from local clubs through to high‑performance sport, will be safe and inclusive for all participants.
Recent inquiries and reviews into institutional environments, including high‑performance sport, have shown how easily pressure to perform, power imbalances and “win at all costs” cultures can lead to harm if safeguards are not strong enough or consistently applied or independently quality assured or tested. At the same time, when concerns are minimised, mishandled or left to “common sense”, abuse can continue unchecked.
Why child safety and member protection cannot be left to chance
Sporting organisations all have a responsibility to create environments where children and other participants are safe, supported and heard, and where risks are identified, prioritised and addressed early. This means planning for child safeguarding and member protection in the same way you plan for finances, operations or performance: by understanding the specific risks in your context, putting safeguards in place to prevent harm, listening to children, athletes and families, and continually checking whether systems are working in practice. Recommendations also need to be implemented on a timely basis.
A comprehensive approach brings together:
- Child safeguarding – protecting children and young people from harm, abuse and threats to their physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing, through both preventative and responsive measures.
- Member protection – preventing and responding to bullying, harassment, discrimination, abuse and other inappropriate conduct affecting all participants, including adults, and providing fair and accessible complaint and grievance processes.
When child safeguarding and member protection are approached in this structured way, they not only protect children and young people from harm but also build trust, retention and long-term sustainability for the club or sport.
Child safety and member protection cannot be left to good intentions alone
Sport Horizon and broader integrity reforms recognise that culture, wellbeing, member protection and safety are essential to sustainable performance and success, not in conflict with it. Good people and positive culture are important, but on their own they are not enough to prevent harm, respond to concerns or meet legal, regulatory and ethical obligations. Clear policies (including child-safeguarding and member protection policies), consistent practices, accountable leadership and regular training are all needed so that everyone knows what is expected and what to do if an incident occurs.
Child safety and member protection in sport
Every sporting organisation, from grassroots and community through to elite and professional, must treat child safeguarding and member protection as central responsibilities, not issues that sit in the background. Children and young people are often coached, mentored and supervised by adults who have access and hold significant influence and control over their opportunities, sense of belonging, participation and competition decisions. Adult participants may also be subject to power imbalances and cultural pressures.
Without clear safeguards and strong member protection frameworks, those power imbalances can be misused and harm can occur.
Turning awareness into action
Awareness is now high. The question is what sporting organisations do with it. With the spotlight of upcoming major events, the broader integrity agenda, and heightened expectations from regulators, families and funders, sporting organisations need to proactively strengthen both their child safeguarding and member protection frameworks, rather than waiting for a complaint, media exposure or regulatory intervention.
The risks you can’t afford to miss
Key high‑risk areas include:
- Gaps in screening and recruitment – for example, coaches, team managers, trainers or support staff working with children without current Working with Children Checks or other required screening, inadequate history and reference checks that do not explore behaviour toward athletes, or role descriptions that fail to spell out athlete-safeguarding responsibilities.
- Weak or inconsistently applied codes of conduct – particularly around one-to-one contact at training or competition, electronic communication with athletes (e.g. direct messaging, team chats), shared travel and accommodation, use of change rooms and showers, and acceptable forms of physical contact in coaching. Codes of conduct which also govern interactions outside of training and competitions is also critically important.
- Cultural red flags – such as a “win at all costs” mindset, tolerance of bullying or “sledging” as part of “team culture”, normalisation of harmful training loads or weigh-ins, public humiliation framed as “motivation”, or reluctance to question high-profile coaches, selectors or senior club figures.
- Complaints and feedback not treated as safety signals – when concerns, complaints or “grumbles” from athletes, parents or support staff are seen as disloyal or as “not being tough enough”, clubs miss early warning signs. Even low-level feedback about coaching tone, selection decisions, change-room practices or boundary crossings can indicate emerging risks. Where athletes fear losing selection, court or playing time or scholarships if they speak up, or where parents feel nothing will change, issues are more likely to escalate, and children are less likely to come forward.
- Inadequate reporting and response processes – no clear written procedures for raising and escalating concerns about coaching behaviour, peer abuse, hazing (such as humiliating, abusive or dangerous initiation rituals expected of new or younger team members) or boundary breaches; reliance on informal sideline conversations; or uncertainty about when to involve league bodies, Member Protection Officers or statutory authorities. When there are no safe, well-understood channels for athletes and parents to raise concerns, or when those who speak up are not supported, trust is eroded and risks remain hidden.
- Limited training and support for volunteers and staff – including a lack of practical guidance on recognising grooming in sport settings, distinguishing legitimate high-performance coaching from harmful practices, responding to disclosures from young athletes, record-keeping and understanding mandatory or organisational reporting obligations.
- Poor governance oversight – boards, committees or sport governing bodies not regularly informed about athlete-safety issues, complaints and trends; little data on patterns across teams, age groups or programs; and limited scrutiny of how child-safe standards are being implemented in day-to-day coaching and competition. This creates blind spots that can result in serious harm, legal exposure and reputational damage for clubs and codes.
None of these risks are insurmountable. They are all manageable when sporting organisations take a structured, honest look at current organisational practice and commit to strengthening their systems.
Moving beyond good intentions: practical steps to strengthen your safety culture
Sporting clubs, associations and high‑performance programs can build practical, robust child‑safeguarding systems that support – rather than overwhelm – their people. This includes:
- Independent safeguarding reviews that assess policies, recruitment, training, incident management, culture and governance against recognised sport and child-safe standards, and provide clear, prioritised recommendations tailored to the code and level of play.
- Developing or refining child-safeguarding and member protection policies, codes of conduct, social media and communication guidelines, and incident and complaints procedures, ensuring they address sport-specific risks (e.g. travel, touring, change rooms, one-on-one coaching, selection and de-selection) and are usable in busy, often volunteer-driven club environments.
- Delivering tailored training for boards, association executives, coaches, managers, officials and volunteers, using realistic sport scenarios, and designing induction and refresher programs so safeguarding knowledge remains current and practical across the season cycle.
- Providing support when incidents or concerns arise, including immediate risk management for athletes, reporting pathways within the sport and to external agencies, documentation and communication with families, sponsors and governing bodies, and helping clubs and programs learn from incidents and near misses.
- Supporting ongoing monitoring and culture-building, through regular reporting on athlete-safety issues to boards and committees, periodic safeguarding “health checks” across squads and age groups, and targeted culture initiatives so that child safety is embedded in everyday training and competition, not just in policy documents.
A practical, supportive partner for your organisation
The message for the sporting sector is clear: child safety is non‑negotiable, and expectations are rising. The green and gold decade is shining a light on how Australia supports, develops and protects children and young people, and national strategies such as Sport Horizon and High Performance 2032+ emphasise that wellbeing and safety are central to sustainable success.
This does not mean you have to navigate the journey alone or feel overwhelmed by obligations. With the right support, sports can translate their genuine care for children into strong, workable systems that fit their size, resources and context.
How we can help
If you would like to discuss where your organisation is currently placed, or how to prepare for the demands and opportunities of the green and gold decade in a safe and sustainable way, please get in touch with a Governance and Risk Advisory Team Member. We are ready to work alongside you to ensure that every child and young person in your programs or care is safe to play, and participate
