The Western Bulldogs Community Foundation (WBCF) and the Western Bulldogs Football Club are committed to working with our partners and community to improve the mental health and wellbeing, and ultimately the quality of life, of all members of our community. 

According to the World Health Organization, mental health is important for holistic wellbeing and is defined as “a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises [their] own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to [their] community”.

As such, mental health and wellbeing is identified as a key theme for the WBCF and continues to be a primary focus of program design and decision-making across all its programs and activities.

It similarly remains an important area of focus for our men’s and women’s football programs and to ensure our players receive the best preventative information and support possible.

We acknowledge that Australia’s culture of ‘toughing it out’ contributes to the stigma associated with mental illness and can act as a barrier to people accessing help.  We are committed to reducing stigma and discrimination about mental health, and will focus on promoting inclusion, healthy relationships and resilience.

The WBCF understands that the number of people experiencing psychological distress is a concern to our community and we recognise that we can a play a role in developing proactive and collaborative approaches to improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes.

Both the Club and the WBCF will work to build strong relationships and meaningful partnerships with organisations and professionals that specialise in mental health and wellbeing.  We will work to normalise people checking in on others, speaking openly about mental health and wellbeing and help seeking behaviour.  We are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels a sense of belonging and connectedness.

Both the Club and the WBCF will advocate for, and work with, our partners to facilitate best-practice approaches to ensure better mental health and wellbeing outcomes for our community.

We acknowledge this is a collective responsibility and we are committed to building the capacity of our staff, and understand that the development of mental health and wellbeing competency is an ongoing learning experience.

The WBCF has the full support of the Western Bulldogs Football Club to prioritise and continue to invest resources into mental health and wellbeing initiatives.  We know firsthand the power of the badge in asking people to stop and listen.

We look forward to working with industry leaders, local organisations and the community on this crucial issue.