THE AFL is pleased to announce Toyota and Coles will join the AFL and Movember as the official presenting partners of Ahead of the Game (AOTG) – a mental health literacy and resilience program for young people.
With a shared vision to change the face of mental health across the Australian Football community, Toyota and Coles joined the initiative after recognising the program’s positive impact on more than 4,700 participants since the program was implemented in June.
The AFL and Movember AOTG initiative will be the largest rollout of a mental health literacy and resilience program in sport globally, and has already delivered 188 workshops to more than 35 community football clubs across Australia.
AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said it was terrific to have longstanding partners join the league in its support of mental health.
"The AFL is thrilled to welcome Toyota and Coles as the presenting partners of the Movember Ahead of the Game program," Ms Rogers said.
"We know that grassroots football clubs around Australia provide a place for connection and belonging for people of all ages and the important role our game can play in helping people develop mental health skills that last beyond the footy field.
"Contributing to the mental well-being of young Australians has never been more important. The AOTG program is already having such a positive impact on communities across the country, and with the support of Toyota and Coles we can reach more young footballers and their communities together."
Over the next three years, the AOTG program aims to educate more than 60,000 program participants including young players and umpires (aged 12-18 years) on the importance of mental health. Giving them the tools to deal with life's challenges, the confidence to support their mates through tough times, whilst also empowering them to look after their own mental wellbeing.
Through the work of the program’s 16 delivery partners, AOTG is delivered throughout a 3-4 week period in one-hour interactive workshops to teams of young players and umpires in community football club changerooms, before, after or during training.
The program also extends workshops for parents, coaches and club volunteers, providing opportunities to educate whole football club communities on recognising mental health challenges, identifying when to get help, and building resilience to deal with challenges in sport and life.
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer, Vin Naidoo said Toyota is incredibly proud to be supporting this vital initiative.
"Grassroots football clubs play a significant role in local communities not only for developing game skills, but also the connection and a sense of belonging they bring and the role this plays for members' mental wellbeing."
"The AOTG program launched in June and has already had a profound impact on young players at these local clubs. We look forward to supporting further expansion of these workshops over the next three years, providing tens of thousands of people with lifelong mental health skills for both on and off the field," Mr Naidoo said.
Coles Group General Manager Health, Safety and Wellbeing Angela Konstantopoulos said:
"We are thrilled to be a part of this program to help the mental wellbeing of thousands of young Australians. This partnership is an extension of the programs we have in place at Coles to support the mental health and wellbeing of our team members and we know that this can have a positive impact on their families too. We all need to play a part in supporting the mental wellbeing of those around us and have an important role in creating a mentally healthy workplace."
Rachel Carr, APAC Country Director at Movember, said:
"We're not just teaching young athletes. We’re educating coaches, parents, and footy club volunteers too, because the hard truth is two in five Aussies will battle a mental health disorder in their lifetime, and half of these issues will onset by the age of 14. Early intervention matters. By arming young athletes with tools to steer their mental health and well-being early, we’re not just preventing problems, we’re fostering resilience and strength and building lifelong skills that may prevent mental illness from ever occurring."
The AOTG program will be delivered in stages to community football clubs across all states and territories throughout the next three years, with the program currently rolling out in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in its first year.
Community football clubs can register their expression of interest for the first year of the AOTG program via https://www.play.afl/aotg
