As the Gippsland League held its annual 'Mental Health Round' the Drouin Football and Netball Clubs have made moves to be at the forefront of local mental health services in sports clubs.
The clubs have recently appointed Mindfull Aus chief executive officer and founder Matt Runnalls as their head of player welfare - a first for both clubs.
As a part of the partnership, Mindfull Aus will be providing mental health resources to the Hawks throughout the year. These include mental health first aid training, digital resources and expert referrals among others.
Drouin Football Club president Luke Gilbert said the club had made it a priority to establish a proper welfare strategy for season 2025.
"In the past it's all been post-tragedy and reactive. We wanted to try and put ourselves in a really good place to support the young men and women that come through the club," he said.
"We felt it's almost a responsibility for clubs these days as opposed to maybe 20 years ago where it wasn't really talked about."
Mr Gilbert said the club initially approached Mindfull Aus in part due to their Drouin home base, saying the partnership "just made sense."
It was then Mr Runnalls' idea to get involved personally at club level, something that the Hawks were more than happy to accommodate.
Mr Runnalls has already attended several training sessions and matches, including the club's clash with Bairnsdale on Saturday.
One player per team across the Gippsland League donned a splash of light blue on their playing uniforms as well as wearing the number zero as part of the round's push for zero lives lost to mental health.