Inclusion is one of the driving principles of participation in Australian sport. All Australians, including people from culturally diverse groups and newly arrived immigrants and refugees, should be able to enjoy participating in sport. The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) supports inclusive sporting programs that reflect the depth and diversity of Australia’s multicultural society.

Beyond its obvious health benefits, sport has an important role to play in promoting social cohesion and harmony in communities. This is why the ASC has developed the new All Cultures website, which helps to promote inclusive practices for sports participation, as well as the following ten useful tips to help you promote inclusive practices in your school or club.

1. Welcome, encourage and support new people getting involved, and feeling at home, in your club. Develop an induction program to introduce new members to your sport and provide them with useful information about social events, the rules of the sport, health and safety measures, appropriate dress codes and opportunities for training and development. Visit the ASC’s Club Development library for useful tips and ideas on how to get started.
   
2. Promote greater awareness of what your sporting club offers people in the local community, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds, and sell these benefits: meeting new friends, keeping fit, learning new skills and making a difference in your community. Successful clubs promote the tangible services and benefits they have to offer their communities.
   
3. Reach out and connect with culturally diverse people and groups actively involved in schools, businesses and other organisations in your community. The local community is a rich and fertile ground to attract new potentially long-term members and volunteers to your sporting club. You will also benefit from drawing on a diverse range of views and experience, in the development of your club.
   
4. Promote tolerance, awareness and respect for all participants, including people from culturally diverse and multi-ethnic backgrounds. Break down barriers to entry by creating opportunities for all participants to get involved in organised sport and physical activity at their own level.
   
5. Be flexible and cater for the special needs of a diverse range of participants, including those of different ages and abilities and from different cultures. For example, run a ‘come and try’ event, or an open day for new members. Deliver modified games with simplified rules to make it easier for people of different ages and abilities to get into the sport.
   
6. Research and investigate strategies and ways to get all Australians involved in your sport. The ASC’s All Cultures resource is a good starting point, providing useful tips and tools on how to get people from diverse backgrounds involved in organised sport and physical activity.
   
7. Create a fun, safe and inclusive environment for all participants. Sporting organisations and clubs have a responsibility to protect the safety, and promote the wellbeing, of all participants.
   
8. Give club members the chance to have their say, to ask questions and to provide feedback about general club matters. Provide regular news updates through online communication, print publications and other promotional materials — posters, letters and fliers — to keep people informed about your club’s services, activities and events. 
   
9. Partner with other organisations to help reach potential new members through initiatives such as the ASC’s Active After-school Communities (AASC) program, which gives primary school aged children a positive introduction to over 70 sports and 20 structured physical activities. The AASC program can help your club to encourage traditionally inactive children from a range of cultures to try your sport.
   
10. Deliver and support ongoing training and development opportunities for participants in your sporting club, to improve their skills and help them gain experience in other roles, such as coaches, officials and volunteers. The All Cultures resource provides tips and tools for coaches, trainers and volunteers on delivering inclusive sporting programs for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and the ASC provides accreditation courses for coaches, officials and volunteers.