Officer City Soccer Club could be named Community Sporting Club of the Year if it takes out the top gong at the 2022 Victorian Sport Awards later this year.
The club has been named a finalist in the awards which recognises and celebrates the achievements of home-grown sporting heroes at both a grassroots and high-performance level.
Led by the club’s committee, made up predominantly of women, Officer City Soccer Club (OCSC) has a steadfast commitment to inclusion of historically underrepresented members of the community and this, alongside the implementation of social programs such as Go Girls and Girls United, saw the club increase their membership by 48 per cent on the previous year to 258 and their female membership by 36 per cent.
OCSC’s Casual Kicks Kids program engages children whose families are unable to afford competition and a Family Day with Cardinia Shire Council further engaged local youth.
Completing Proud 2 Play’s Rainbow Ready Clubs program, OCSC has developed an action plan to be a welcoming environment for the LGBTQI+ community.
Cardinia Shire Council has also been named a finalist in the Local Government Initiative of the Year category.
In 2022, Cardinia Shire Council enabled more people to feel safe to participate in sport and active recreation through events such as the IDAHOBIT Sport and Movement Festival, Parklife which created a space free from stigma and discrimination for LGBTIQ+ folk to develop a more positive relationship with their own bodies and Rainbow Ready Clubs which offered a framework for club education and capacity building.
Using shared learnings has enabled these initiatives to go from conversation to action, all while amplifying the voices of the LGBTIQ+ community and their allies.
Presented by the State Government of Victoria and Vicsport, the awards will be held on Wednesday 7 June 2023.
