The Project
Clubs have always been more than buildings.
They were places of connection, belonging, and identity.
Over time, our clubs changed.
Once places of belonging and shared purpose, many have become dependent on pokies — machines that both sustain and slowly unravel them.
Clubs at a Crossroads is about more than gambling. It’s about memory, resilience, and the quiet power of the spaces we gather in.
It asks: What do we lose — and what might we regain — when the heart of a community is tied to harm?
The Questions We’re Asking
In the places where we’ve gathered for generations — sporting, social, and community clubs — we’re asking:
- What have we gained?
- What have we lost?
- And where do we go from here?
The Voices
This story is told through the people inside it:
- Lived Experience – “In walking distance to my house, there are five venues… they’re everywhere".
- Advocate – breaking silence, reclaiming dignity.
- Whistleblower – exposing hidden truths.
- Governance Expert – weighing community values against financial survival.
Together, these voices build a picture of what clubs have meant to people, what they mean today — and what they could mean tomorrow.
