Middle Park FC recognised as Football Victoria’s July Club Changer Club of the Month

Congratulations to Sports Environment Alliance member Middle Park Football Club, which was named Football Victoria’s July Club Changer Club of the Month.

The recognition celebrates Middle Park FC’s commitment to strengthening the club both on and off the pitch, with sustainability, good governance, community connection and collaboration all playing an important role in its journey.

As a 100 per cent volunteer-run organisation, Middle Park FC has been using Football Australia’s Club Changer Program as a framework for continuous improvement and is now working towards 3-Star Club Changer accreditation.

Football Victoria highlighted the club’s work to modernise its governance, improve safeguarding, support its volunteers and build meaningful partnerships that contribute to a stronger and more sustainable future.

Importantly for SEA, environmental sustainability is firmly part of that picture.

Football Victoria specifically recognised Middle Park FC’s partnerships with organisations including Sports Environment Alliance, Macron, Premier Waste, Recycle Care Australia and the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme.

Through these relationships and the commitment of people across the club, Middle Park FC has introduced recycled Macron Eco-Fabric playing kits, taken action to divert match-day waste from landfill, participated in the Recycle Care Australia Club Hub program and introduced Container Deposit Scheme fundraising initiatives.

It is a great example of something we talk about regularly at SEA: sustainability at community sport level does not need to begin with one enormous project. It can begin with practical decisions, stronger partnerships and a willingness to look at how a club operates every week - from the uniforms players wear and the waste generated on match day, to the organisations a club chooses to learn from and work alongside.

And those individual actions can add up.

Middle Park FC’s wider Club Changer journey has also included improvements to digital systems and board succession planning, investment in safeguarding and work with other sporting clubs and stakeholders to advocate for better facilities and playing surfaces across the region.

The result is a club thinking not only about the season ahead, but about its long-term resilience and the community it wants to be part of.

Middle Park FC summed up the recognition beautifully:

“When we set out on this journey in late 2023 we didn’t imagine this could happen!”

Congratulations to everyone at Middle Park FC. We are very proud to have you as part of the SEA community and to see environmental sustainability recognised as one part of a much broader commitment to creating a strong, inclusive and future-focused sporting club.