Western Bulldogs Community Engagement

The Western Bulldogs has long identified itself as the Community Club of the AFL. This is founded on a 130 year history of representing Melbourne’s west and the legacy of being supported by its community through difficult times, most famously the Fightback campaign of 1989, which saw the Bulldogs stave off a forced merger with the Fitzroy Football Club.

This sense of place and purpose has been matched by the Western Bulldogs through a dedicated community department. Going by the name of SpiritWest Services, the Western Bulldogs community department works in partnership with government, corporate and community agencies to deliver services and programs that endeavour to improve social capital and improve the quality of life, of people living in the local government areas of Maribyrnong, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham and Melton.

Aim:

To use sport as a neutral platform to engage a wide range of groups, drawing on its cultural profile as an AFL Club to work with different communities and positively influence their opportunities. The Western Bulldogs are committed to developing and delivering programs that educate, engage and meet the diverse needs of Melbourne’s western region. The goal is to create an empowered and inclusive community in our heartland.

Settlement Programs

The Western Bulldogs are the only sporting organisation in Australia to be funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to deliver settlement services to newly-arrived migrants and refugees.

The project aims to assist newly arrived refugees and migrants with low English proficiency in the west to develop self-reliance and integrate successfully into the broader community. This is achieved though practical group information sessions, referrals, local community tours, school-based activities, sports programs, mentoring and youth leadership group activities. Sport and recreation are important aspects of this program.

CALDplay Sports Programs

The Western Bulldogs CALDplay Sports Program is an important cornerstone of our work in Melbourne’s West.

Through CALDplay, the Club has helped over 2,500 migrants and refugees from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds to engage with their new community through sporting activities including athletics, badminton, lawn bowls, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, water polo and of course, Australian Rules.

CALDplay began working with newly arrived young people aged 18–25, who were studying English at Footscray Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES), in late 2007. In the space of four years, the program has grown to include multiple language centres across the West, with adults up to the age of 65 participating.   

Under the program, students participate in a structured sporting activity over five to eight weeks. The underlying theme for each sports program is health promotion as well as the development of English language and employment skills.

By participating weekly in sport, the students gain a better appreciation and understanding of that particular sport’s rules and structure, while supporting them to maximise language proficiency and enjoy engagement in their new community. 

Building Community Resilience

Since 2011 the Western Bulldogs have been funded by the Federal Attorney-General’s Department through the Building Community Resilience Grants Program to work with young Islamic men from the Newport Mosque to promote opportunities for social participation and inclusion. The project has included the formation of an interfaith football team MUJU (Muslim-Jewish), which won the 2012 Unity Cup and in 2013 will be expanded to include a female participation element.

The program has seen the Club work in partnership with the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, Hobsons Bay Council, Youth Victoria and the Newport Islamic Society to deliver high value experiential and development programs for participants.

To enquire about these programs and initiatives please contact our SpiritWest community engagement team on 1300 GO DOGS (46 36 47) or email spiritwestservices@westernbulldogs.com.au