Building Inclusive Clubs Together in Denmark, WA
Roger D'Souza
Inclusion Coach - Great Southern WA
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of hosting a Sport4All group learning session at the Denmark Riverside Club, bringing together 10 sporting clubs and 25 participants from Denmark, Mount Barker, and Albany.
For a small regional town, it was an incredible turnout, and a powerful reminder that the appetite for inclusion in sport is growing stronger every year across the Great Southern region.
We kicked things off with a friendly game of lawn bowls, which proved to be the perfect way to break the ice. The laughter and friendly competition reminded everyone why we were there, because sport has the power to bring people together.
Learning through sport and connection
After the game, we moved inside for a group learning workshop where participants worked through the Sport4All online learning modules as a team.
The energy in the room was fantastic. People from different clubs, from local footy and cricket committees to small community groups, came together to talk about what inclusion means in their context. The conversations were open, honest, and often deeply personal.
Over dinner, the discussions grew even more engaging. People shared ideas, asked questions, and talked about the small, practical things they could do to make their clubs more inclusive – from adjusting training drills to improving communication with new members and families.
"The event was both inspiring and energising, marking an important step in helping Great Southern sporting clubs begin their journey towards greater disability inclusion."
The Sport4All inclusion journey
Our session guided participants through the Sport4All three-step inclusion journey – the same process available to every sporting club across Australia through the Sport4All online learning platform.
- Step 1 – Check-in: Clubs start with a simple 3-minute inclusion survey to understand where they’re at and what they can improve.
- Step 2 – Learn: The online learning modules (and group discussions like ours) explore real examples and strategies to make sport more inclusive.
- Step 3 -Act: Each club then develops a Sport4All Inclusion Action Plan (SIAP) – setting achievable goals to make inclusion part of everyday club culture.
This simple framework helps turn ideas into action. It’s not about ticking boxes -it’s about giving clubs the tools and confidence to create environments where everyone feels welcome.
A step forward for the Great Southern - WA
Seeing clubs from Denmark, Mount Barker, and Albany come together reminded me how much potential exists in regional communities. When people are given the right support and space to learn together, inclusion becomes more than an idea – it becomes part of how we operate.
This session was just one step in a much bigger journey, but it showed that change is already happening in the Great Southern. Clubs are taking ownership of inclusion, sharing ideas, and supporting each other along the way.
Related Blogs
Inclusive sport in Albury was brought to life at the 2026 Youth Expo, where Sport4All showed how simple, practical changes can help more young people participate. Through hands-on activities and real conversations, clubs and schools explored how inclusion can start with small, flexible adjustments.
Sport4All’s first Learning Forum in Darwin brought clubs together to explore practical approaches to inclusion. With strong engagement and clear next steps, the session marked the beginning of ongoing change across the Northern Territory.
Sport4All, in partnership with APM Communities, has announced the appointment of Roger D’Souza as the region’s first Access and Inclusion Coach for Albany, Denmark and Mount Barker. This landmark role will help local clubs, schools and councils make sport more inclusive, building stronger communities and creating more opportunities for people with disability to get involved.
