Football helps tackle binge drinking

Twelve of Australia’s national sporting organisations will be provided funding out of a $25 million government sponsorship program to provide an alternative to alcohol sponsorship in sport.

Twelve of Australia-s national sporting organisations will be provided funding out of a $25 million government sponsorship program to provide an alternative to alcohol sponsorship in sport.

The new campaign is a partnership between the Australian Government and national sporting organisations to address binge drinking and the influence of alcohol promotion on young Australians.

The Minister for Sport, Senator Kate Lundy, announced the Australian Government-s support for the Community Sponsorship Fund today at Melbourne-s AAMI Park Stadium with representatives from the 12 sporting organisations and a number of Australia-s sports stars. ??

“Sport is a really important part of young peoples- lives and it-s terrific that our elite athletes have come on board to promote a healthy sporting lifestyle in the lead up to the Olympics,” Senator Lundy said. ??

“This campaign is about tapping into the positive influence sporting clubs have on young people while promoting responsible drinking.” ??

The Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, said the initiative will be funded under the National Binge Drinking Strategy and was aimed at giving sports an alternative to relying on alcohol sponsorship to support their clubs. ??

“The sponsorship agreements act as an alternative to alcohol sponsorship in sport and do not affect the pourage rights and service of alcohol at stadiums and events. ??

“I-ve been impressed by the enthusiasm shown by these twelve national sporting organisations to reduce the exposure of young people to alcohol imagery and branding,” Mr Butler said.

Each sponsorship agreement covers a range of activities and events from national team sponsorship, to Australia-wide competitions and community sporting events. ??

The participating sporting organisations include: Football Federation of Australia, Netball Australia, Swimming Australia, Basketball Australia, Cycling Australia, Hockey Australia, Athletics Australia, Volleyball Australia, Equestrian Australia, Triathlon Australia, Canoeing Australia and Skateboarding Australia.