Geraldton’s Olympians basketball club win sporting club of year at Good Sport Awards in Canberra

Geraldton’s own Olympians basketball club has taken home a Statewide award for improving health and wellbeing practices at the Good Sports Awards for 2024. Good Sports is a community health sports program which focuses on improving knowledge about alcohol, illicit drugs and mental health in sporting clubs across the country. The annual awards, at Parliament House in Canberra on Friday, celebrate champions in local sport. Olympians basketball club from Geraldton was crowned the State’s Club of the Year for its efforts in adopting practices and strategies to improve the health and wellbeing of their members, inspiring positive change and building a healthier, inclusive club environment. As part of the award, the club were praised for their response to the death of Justyce Potaka Kumeroa, who club president Nathan Van Tiel describes as a “club man with an infectious cheeky smile”. After the 17-year old’s tragic death in a car crash on Christmas Eve in 2022, the club retired his number 14 jersey in honour of their teammate who had played through his junior years, into men’s division 1. Club secretary Hayley Halton said: “Good Sports helped us navigate our way through really challenging emotions after the tragic loss of a player, including providing recommendations for help and support services.” Halton said the organisation helped equip the club with options and pathways which opened up communication and “new ways of thinking”. Payment plans have been introduced for parents wanting to register their kids. “The biggest thing for us is to just get kids on the court,” Van Tiel said. The organisation works with 12,000 sporting clubs across the Australia, and Van Tiel and Halton were able to connect with many in Canberra this week when they accepted their award. “We’ve had the opportunity to meet with so many clubs in Australia which has been amazing, just to be able to build on what we’re doing,” Van Tiel said. For Geraldton’s beloved Occys, the changes made with the program symbolises help to break the cycle of sport and alcohol being inextricably linked in Australian culture. Since joining the program, the club has introduced ways to encourage better eating habits, including healthier snack options for players and club events. “We’ve also moved away from alcohol-centric events and have ceased the sale of club stubby coolers which we’re currently looking to replace with safety conscience merchandise like hats and sunglasses,” Halton said. Alcohol and Drug Foundation WA manager Greg Williams said: “Whilst local sport clubs can be places where alcohol and other drug-related harms occur, the Good Sports program demonstrates that they can also be the opposite.”