INTEGRITY
integrity - protecting american football together
Sport should be a safe and fair place for all participants. At AFA, we offer a safe place for people to raise concerns about behaviour they’ve witnessed or experienced in sport as well as find more information if they have an integrity question.
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STAYING SAFE
Your safety is our first concern.
If you are in Australia and in immediate danger or at risk of harm, call your local law enforcement agency or dial triple zero (000).
what is sport integrity?
Threats to a sport’s integrity can include competition manipulation and sports gambling, doping, the improper use of drugs and medicine, and behaviours that impact people’s positive experience of sport, such as discrimination or abuse, including against children.
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Integrity in sport means that participants, officials, supporters, and fans can participate in and enjoy sport, confident in the knowledge that they are part of a safe, fair, and inclusive environment.
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All of our members and participants have an obligation to protect and maintain the integrity of sport, as well as the health and wellbeing of everyone involved.
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We work closely with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), the national coordination agency for sport integrity threats. For more information visit www.sportintegrity.gov.au
INTEGRITY FOCUS AREAS
NATIONAL INTEGRITY FRAMEWORK
We take sport integrity seriously and in October 2023, AFA adopted the National Integrity Framework.
The National Integrity Framework is essentially a set of rules that all members of our sport need to follow when it comes to their behaviour and conduct in sport.
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Learn more here. ​
ANTI-DOPING
AFA takes a position of zero tolerance toward doping in sport and works closely with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) in Australia and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) internationally to ensure a drug-free environment in our sport.
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Learn more here.
EDUCATION
As part of our ongoing commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity in American Football, American Football Australia has partnered with Sport Integrity Australia to implement the Integrity Education Plan across our sport. This plan ensures that all participants—athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators—understand their responsibilities regarding integrity, ethics, and fair play.
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Read more about this below.
AFA education plaN
Education is key to protecting the integrity of Australian sport. Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and American Football Australia are committed to working together to mitigate and manage integrity threats to provide a safe and fair environment for participants at all levels of sport.
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This Education Plan has been developed in partnership with SIA, who will support this plan through the provision of education resources and interventions as and where possible. It outlines the required and recommended education interventions for all members of American Football Australia to facilitate compliance with the National Integrity Framework policies, American Football Australia Anti-Doping Policy and the World Anti-Doping Code International Standard for Education (ISE).
REQUIRED & RECOMMENDED EDUCATION
ELEARNING COURSES - SIA EDGE
Education plays a critical role in protecting athletes and preventing integrity threats in Australian sport. SIA have made freely available a range of online learning modules covering grassroots to elite-level athletes, their parents, teachers, coaches, sport administration staff and support personnel.
The below summarises the modules that form the AFA Education Plan, however the SIA EDGE platform contains a vast amount of additional useful eduction topics to support all participants within American Football.
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You can get started with SIA eLearning by visiting https://elearning.sportintegrity.gov.au/
ANTI-DOPING FUNDAMENTALS
Comprehensive anti-doping education covering the rules and regulations related to anti-doping, the processes involved in testing, the ethical and health implications of doping, and the responsibilities of athletes and support personnel to uphold anti-doping standards.
ANNUAL UPDATE
Released in December each year, this course reflects current trends in anti-doping and broader integrity issues including new prohibited substances, rule changes and other contemporary topics.
CLEAN SPORT 101
An introduction to anti-doping rules, rights and responsibilities written in plain English, this course provides an overview of the anti-doping landscape, and guidance on the resources and tools available when seeking more comprehensive information.
Competition Manipulation and Sport Gambling
An introduction to what competition manipulation is, different types of competition manipulation, and sport specific rules to assist with identifying breaches, recognising match-fixer strategies, and knowing how to report concerns.
National Integrity Framework
Comprehensive education about the development of the National Integrity Framework, including background information about Sport Integrity Australia and an overview of how each National Integrity Framework Policy can be applied in practice.
Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction
An introduction to protecting children and young people within sporting environments, including Children and Young People Safe Practices, and how to recognise and respond to possible breaches of safeguarding policy.
Whereabouts
Specific education designed for testing pool athletes and their support personnel, this course explains the Whereabouts rules and provides step-by-step guidance on updating whereabouts in the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).
"Football is like life—punctuated by seasons of triumph and defeat, with the goal of pushing forward and becoming better with each challenge."
— Jerry Kramer