Sport is a crucial part of life in rural and regional Australia. It contributes to the social fabric and community identity as well as good health.
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As the country sat down to watch the AFL grand final at the weekend, it's worth looking at the roots of Aussie Rules, one of the world's oldest organised sports. Most AFL clubs began life as amateur clubs with strong ties to the communities where they were located. Over time, many of these clubs have evolved into big, commercial enterprises with a strong national focus.
In contrast, rural football clubs are voluntary organisations that continue to rely on the enthusiasm and dedication of local people. Today, these clubs face many challenges. As rural populations have declined, they often struggle for survival and many have merged or simply folded due to lack of funds and volunteers.
Those that do battle on are faced with another even more ominous threat - our changing climate. Football and other sports clubs have often been the first to experience the impacts of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and severe storms.
Prolonged drought has made playing fields hard, dangerous or unusable. Water has become more and more scarce and expensive. While in some parts of the country, destructive floods have put a stop to sports altogether as mopping up and the repair of infrastructure takes time and money.
Not only that, playing sport in relentless hot weather has proved hazardous for athletes, with many succumbing to heatstroke, dehydration or more serious illnesses brought on by heat exposure.
Local communities and sports club members are quite rightly wondering whether they are witnessing the death of iconic past-times that define Australia around the world.
Sport is in our blood but climate change is on our doorstep.
We know the solutions are out there. We have to end our reliance on ageing, coal-powered plants and switch to clean, sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar. It's a message that can't be repeated too often whether to local, state or federal politicians. There is no time to waste.
On a local level, AFL and other sporting clubs must also adapt to new climate conditions through adopting energy saving measures, conserving water and reducing landfill - all actions that are detailed in the AFL's Green Clubs Environmental Module.
In any game, there are always winners and losers, but we now face the real possibility that without urgent action to reduce emissions, we will all be climate change losers.
Dr Sheila N Nguyen Executive Director, Sports Environment Alliance
