Swan Districts Crowned 2023 Healthway Ladder Leaders Monday, December 11, 2023 - 8:34 AM

Swan Districts missed out on winning a League premiership this year, but off field the club has been named at the top of the Healthway Wellbeing Ladder in 2023. 

 The West Australian Football Commission (WAFC) joined forces with Healthway to implement the Wellbeing Ladder, an initiative designed to create a competitive pathway to further implement mental health and wellbeing practices within the WAFL community. 

The Black and Whites were declared the competition’s best after establishing a clear Health and Wellbeing Action Plan for the club. 

 The action plan, among other key policies, was developed in collaboration with the Swans Aboriginal Advisory Committee, Swans Disability, Advocacy and Inclusion Sub-committee, Swans LGBTQI+ reference group and Swans Youth Advisory Committee. 

 In addition, the club established a relationship with Sports Psychologist, Courtney Riggs, who oversees and drives mental health initiatives. 

The Healthway Wellbeing Ladder was created this year in collaboration with Healthway, Country Football WA, WAFC and Holyoake. 

Lotterywest and Healthway Acting CEO Jeremy Hubble said the wellbeing ladder competition is a great way to encourage clubs to embed mental health and wellbeing initiatives into everything they do.

"This has led to significant changes in WAFL club activities around player and community wellbeing, signicantly increasing their mental health and well being support programs," he said.

Although Swan Districts was the best-performing Club, Claremont, Subiaco and Peel Thunder also achieved immense success, ultimately creating a safer place for all involved. East Perth and East and South Fremantle were also named as successful clubs.

The competition will run again in 2024 to further drive community engagement and create a competitive environment for growth.