Clubs provide a safe space for patrons to get heart checks and make a real community impact
Walk into any local club on any given day and you will see a community in motion.
There are long-time members catching up over coffee, families sitting down for lunch, volunteers coming in after a morning at the fields, staff starting their shift, retirees meeting friends, young players celebrating a win, and locals dropping in as part of their weekly routine.
People come to their club for different reasons, but they usually know there is something there for them. A familiar face. A place to meet. A team to support. A meal with family. A connection to the community around them.
In many ways, that is what clubs have always done best. They bring people together, support local sport and community groups, and give members and locals a place where they feel looked after.
Now, through Heartbeat of the Community, clubs are helping look after something even more important: the heart health of the people who walk through their doors.
For many people, heart health is not something they think about every day. It can be easy to put off a visit to the GP until something feels wrong, or until life finally leaves enough time to make an appointment. But risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar can be present long before someone feels unwell.
That is where local clubs can play a practical role.
Delivered through a partnership between Leagues Clubs Australia and Heartbeat of Sport, Heartbeat of the Community delivers heart checks free of charge to members of your community, courtesy of participating clubs. The checks are nurse-led and give members a simple opportunity to stop, get checked and better understand whether they may need to take the next step.
The idea is straightforward: when heart checks are offered in places people already know and visit, more people have the chance to act earlier.
The Pulse Check is designed to be simple for members and practical for clubs. Qualified nurses conduct checks on the day, including key indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Members receive information about their results and, where needed, are encouraged to follow up with their GP.
Heart checks at Gladesville RSL
For some, the check may provide reassurance. For others, it may be the prompt they need to book an appointment, ask more questions, or take their health more seriously.
The numbers so far tell a clear story.
Across 31 event days, Heartbeat of the Community checked 1,151 people. Of those, 74% were aged over 40, and 65% were referred to their GP for follow-up after elevated blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar results.
Behind those numbers are hundreds of people who may not have otherwise had their heart health checked that day. They are members, parents, volunteers, staff, players, supporters and locals. They are the people clubs see every week.
For participating clubs, the program is a practical and visible way to support community wellbeing. Clubs do not need to become health providers or build a program from scratch. Heartbeat of Sport manages the clinical delivery, while clubs provide the venue, help promote the event locally, and encourage members to take part.
That is what makes the model work. It combines the health expertise of Heartbeat of Sport with the local reach of clubs.
It also gives clubs a clear way to show their community role in action. Clubs already support grassroots sport, local charities, community events and social connection. Heartbeat of the Community adds another layer to that contribution, helping people take a simple step towards better health. The next phase of the program is about reaching more communities through more clubs.
Every club that hosts Heartbeat of the Community creates another opportunity for someone to stop for a few minutes, learn something important about their health and take action earlier. It may be a member who has not had a check-up in years. It may be a volunteer who came in after a morning at sport. It may be a parent who sees the set-up while having lunch with their family.
The setting matters. People know their club has something for them. Through Heartbeat of the Community, clubs can show they have their community’s back, and now, their heart too.
Clubs interested in hosting Heartbeat of the Community and offering free heart checks to their members can express their interest via filling in a form at https://forms.gle/r8nvBnBsxNMBiMjS9 or use the QR Code below
