Jim Stynes Foundation Club Community Award | Carlton Respects honoured

THE Carlton Football Club’s Carlton Respects program has been awarded this year’s Jim Stynes Foundation Club Community Award, presented by Bunnings. 

Following North Melbourne’s The Huddle program being honoured in the award’s inaugural year, the Blues’ community arm was recognised for its commitment to championing gender equality and the prevention of violence against women.  

Carlton Respects was awarded the honour at the annual Play it Forward Luncheon, receiving $10,000 from the Foundation to further enhance the incredible impact of the program.

Fittingly, this year the Carlton Respects program is celebrating the 10th anniversary since its launch in 2016.

Over the past decade, Carlton Respects has educated over 30,000 primary school students through its Road to Respect school program, delivering close to 4,000 hours of in-classroom facilitation, which has seen 91 per cent of participating schools report an increase in students' understanding of respect lessons. 

Jim Stynes Foundation Chairman Russel Howcroft congratulated Carlton for its dedication to playing its role in rectifying an important nationwide issue.

“Violence against women is at a crisis level across Australia, so the work that the Carlton Respects program is doing is undoubtedly working towards a more positive future for our country,” Howcroft said.

“Congratulations to all involved in the development of this program and, on behalf of the Foundation, we wish you all the best with Carlton Respects’ continued success.”

The Jim Stynes Foundation Club Community Award was created by the Foundation to recognise the work being undertaken by AFL clubs to create meaningful social impact in the community.

In 2026, 12 clubs nominated a program for the award, with Carlton, Adelaide, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs being named as finalists.

The award, alongside the Play it Forward Luncheon, provide a fitting opportunity to celebrate the incredible work being done within the industry to help create better communities.

The Jim Stynes Foundation Club Community Award now sits alongside the individual Jim Stynes Community Leadership Awards which are awarded annually to a player within the AFL and AFLW competitions.

Bailey Banfield (Fremantle), Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs) and Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne) have been announced as the three finalists for the AFL Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, with the winner to be announced on Brownlow Medal night.

This award recognises the AFL player who best embodies the values of Jim Stynes through their community service and leadership.

The voting panel for the Jim Stynes Club Community Award in 2026 was as follows:

Tom Harley – AFL Chief Operating Officer AFL

Taryn Lee - AFL General Manager First Nations Engagement and Inclusion

Russel Howcroft – Jim Stynes Foundation Chair

Sam Ludbey-Stynes – Jim Stynes Foundation Founder

Brian Cook AM – Former CEO of Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Carlton FC