Vikings Group has once again been recognised for its contribution to the Tuggeranong Valley at the ClubsACT awards on Monday evening at the National Press Club

Taking out, Best Re-Developed Venue (Erindale Vikings), Best Responsible Gambling Initiative (Play within your Limits), Health and Wellbeing (Charity programs), Support of Amateur Sport. 

The Awards, which recognise achievements across club operations and community work brought the industry together for a night of fun, recognition and reflection. 

Vikings Group CEO, Anthony Hill, was humbled by the recognition “We don’t do what we do for awards, albeit nice to be recognised, at the end of the day we are here to provide great services to our Members and to give back to our community. 

“Our nearly 250 staff work tirelessly to provide to our members and their guests with the best Clubs have to offer and it is fantastic that their hard work has been recognised. 

“Our sports and community programs are built to contribute to the effective development of the organisations we work with and we are seeing lasting impacts of this’’ Hill says. 

Vikings Group has a long history of working within the community and since its inception has given back $40 million dollars over 40 years to a range of charitable organisations, programs and support activities.

This year alone Vikings Group has raised $70,000, of the $100,00 target, for Marymead to build a new care cottage for children and families in crisis. 

“What really humbles me, is the acknowledgement we continue to receive for our efforts in providing responsible gaming services, through our ‘Play within your Limits’ harm minimisation program. 

“Vikings Group strives for excellence in all aspects of our services and facilities and our commitment to the role we play in providing responsible gaming services is no exception.

“Our Play Within your Limits program is a holistic program that we are very proud of, it uses in-venue strategies that focuses on the mental health and wellbeing of our community, our members and our staff’’ Hill says.  

The program, which was launched in 2017 uses a variety of strategies, a key one being a dedicated support room located at Erindale Vikings, a room where Vikings Group members can access support via Lifeline services and resources in a safe and secure environment. This room was a first of its kind for Clubs in Australia.

“Equally important to the success of this room is the training our staff receive to provide the appropriate level of support to members who may need to access this room, this training includes courses on being an accidental counsellor, mental health awareness and dealing with people in difficult situations. I would like to thank our frontline staff for playing not only an active role in this initiative but in the wellbeing of our members in general. 

“We understand our role is ongoing in assisting individuals to overcome mental health and wellbeing issues that may lead to gaming harm and we are extremely proud to be part of the ongoing solution.’’ Hill says.