Water Friendly Sport

Introducing Water Friendly Sport

Sports and fitness venues across Banyule, Darebin and Nillumbik are invited to become ‘Water Friendly.’

The sports and fitness sector is perfectly positioned to support the connection between active living and healthy drink choices for their players, members and spectators.

Why become Water Friendly? 

By offering healthy drink choices in places where sport is enjoyed, venues can create an environment that supports the wellbeing of their communities. We know this is what people want, with three in four people wanting access to healthier options in Victorian sporting venues.

How can our venue become Water Friendly?

There is no ‘one-size fits all’ approach to being Water Friendly. However, there are many useful strategies that can be tailored to the culture and goals of your sports or fitness venue.

Scroll down to see tips and resources to support your venue to become Water Friendly.

In this section:
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Water Friendly sports ideas

Leadership and commitment

  • Gain support from your club or venue’s leadership and broader community to commit to being a Water Friendly venue.
  • Encourage your coaches or venue’s leaders to model healthy drinks behaviours. e.g. ask them to go ‘sweet drink free’ for a week or a month and publicise this throughout your sporting community.
  • Do not allow sponsorship, advertising or fundraising involving sugary drinks on your premises, at events and in sporting activities. Alternative fundraising ideas are available.
  • Consider getting support by becoming a Good Sports Club and or working with the Healthy Eating Advisory Service.
  • Larger venues can put a healthy drinks policy in place that is communicated and reviewed regularly. Sports and recreation centers can refer to the Healthy Choices policy guidelines in Victoria.

Provide supportive environments

  • Consider ways to improve access and promote free water sources e.g. water coolers, water fountains, drink-bottle refill stations or free water refills.

Canteen / kiosk-based changes (where applicable):

  • Place water on the front counter and make sure water is at eye level for your customers.
  • Rearrange your drinks fridge layout to make healthier drinks more visible (see Planogram for tips).
  • Remove soft drinks from the counter or remove them from sight.
  • Limit soft drink options.
  • Display the Good Sports ‘Winners Drink Water’ and ‘Water is Available’ posters at the cash registers.

Community partnerships and awareness raising

  • Engage your community in Water Friendly initiatives.
  • Post Water Friendly messages on your social media channels.
  • Promote the ‘Choose Tap‘ message
  • Help raise awareness that we don’t need sports drinks – see YMCA’s Sports Drinks fact sheet 
  • For larger venues or clubs, you may be able challenge your community to drink tap water only for one month.

Useful links and resources

North East Healthy Communities acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land we work on. We pay our respects to their Elders both past and present and acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first people of this nation.