Representatives from community sporting clubs in Port Douglas are invited to attend a free Good Sports workshop later this month, covering the important role local clubs can play in building healthy communities.

The workshop will be held at Port Douglas Community Hall on Wednesday, February 19 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

Clubs will hear how the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s Good Sports program can support them to set up a better environment by helping them tackle tricky topics including alcohol, drugs, smoking, mental health and safe transport.

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s Queensland State Manager, Martin Milne said the workshop is a great opportunity for clubs to come together and learn about creating safer places to enjoy sport.

“Community sporting clubs are often at the heart of community and can play a really important role when it comes to modelling healthy behaviours and reducing and preventing the risk of alcohol and other drug harms,” Mr Milne said.

“Good Sports inspires and supports clubs to do this by giving them access to an experienced support crew, with the resources and know-how to help busy volunteers make a positive difference.

“Over the last 25 years, Good Sports has made a significant contribution in building healthier and safer community sporting clubs across Australia and has been proven to reduce risky drinking and alcohol-related harms at participating clubs. It also increases club members’ knowledge and confidence to deal with mental health and illicit drug issues.

“We welcome all Port Douglas sporting clubs to come along to the upcoming workshop to find out how Good Sports can best support them.”

Registrations are essential and can be done here.

Working with over 12,000 community sports clubs, including over 1300 in Queensland, Good Sports is Australia’s largest community health sports program. In Queensland, Good Sports is funded by the Australian Government and managed by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

Port Douglas’s own rugby union club the Reef Raiders are training hard in preparation for the season launch on March 22.

Second-year coach Richard Johnston is hoping to go one game deeper into the season after his team made the semi-finals last year.

“It’s been good, lots of positive signs,” Johnston says.

“It all depends on the people that come to town, hopefully we’ll have a few returning players.”

The team is always heavily dependent on who turns up from the large contingent of expats and backpackers in the region, with Italians, Spanish, Argentinians, English and Irish players already signing up for this year.

“Our team is brand new every year, pretty much.”

Johnston says he might have less than 10 of the same players from last year, along with 20 or 30 new recruits.

“I have to put together a team and figure out a game plan that works for us to try and be successful.

“It’s a fun challenge that I enjoy.”

Johnston says he helps overcome the big turnover of personnel by trying to be extra organised with his planning.

“I think about rugby a lot and I have our preseason plans already written,” he says.

“My drills are all drawn out in the colours of the cones I will use, I’m super sad about things like that.”