Challenging regional communities to get behind bowel cancer screening
Lift Your Game brings football and community pride, community engagement and lifesaving health action together—because when the whole community lifts, everyone wins.
Every footy club knows the phrase, “Lift your game”. It’s the rallying cry that unites players, coaches and supporters when the match is on the line. Lift Your Game, a statewide challenge to lift the bowel screening game across regional South Australia inviting regional (and remote) football clubs to compete for a $20,000 grant by inspiring their local community to take bowel screening seriously.
Submit your application form
Apply now for Lift Your Game
The goal
It’s simple but powerful. Regional, Australian rules football clubs create awareness, spark conversations and rally the town behind a cause that matters and play a vital role in boosting bowel cancer early detection rates and improving bowel screening participation in your local community.
The challenge
Between 1 June and 31 July 2026, use the Lift Your Game promotional toolkit to share the message about bowel cancer screening in your community. Post on social media, encourage shares, put posters up in local businesses, send something to local media, get creative and get the message out to as many people as possible.
The ask
It’s small but impactful. Make at least one social media post on your club’s social media account and encourage club members to share it, and put a minimum of three of the supplied posters up in your community.
Grant funding
The $20,000 grant can only be used to pay for goods or services which directly benefit the recipient club and its members. This can include, but is not limited to:
- updating club facilities or grounds
- repairing or purchasing new equipment or uniforms
- funding community or player development programs.
Grant funds must not be spent on facilities, equipment or programs that relate to alcohol, tobacco, gambling or the advertising of junk food.
The grant funds will be paid in one instalment and should be spent by 31 December 2027.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the grant, clubs must:
- be located within South Australia
- be a regional or remote club in one of the South Australian community football leagues
- complete the application form
- use the digital promotional toolkit, complete the challenge and send us evidence
- complete a short survey about the grant.
How does the challenge work?
Complete the application form
Click the link on this page and complete the application form. Applications can be completed between 1–31 May 2026.
We recommend preparing your answers in advance. You can view the application form questions in the Lift Your Game application questions section.
Get your promotional toolkit
Once we receive your application we will send you your promotional toolkit to help you build awareness in your community.
The toolkit will include social media templates, in-club posters and messaging, scripts for coaches or club presidents, downloadable digital assets for newsletters, club social media pages and team announcements, a guide on how to use the toolkit and a statement to share with media outlets.
Start raising awareness
Get your team and community involved by putting up posters, and use your club’s social media to raise awareness of bowel cancer screening using the social media post sent to you.
You know your community better than us, so clubs are encouraged to get creative and come up with their own ideas as well! As long as you meet the minimum requirements, you will be eligible for the $20,000 grant from Cancer Council SA.
Cancer Council SA will simultaneously engage local councils, equipping them with the same promotional toolkit for broader reach within each community.
Meet the minimum requirements
Social media activity: Publish at least one social media post to your club's Instagram or Facebook page, using the official Lift Your Game digital toolkit, by 30 June 2026 and tag Cancer Council SA:
Facebook: Cancer Council SA
Instagram: @cancercouncil_sa
Community promotion: Display promotional posters provided in the toolkit in at least three different public-facing locations.
Send us evidence
Emails us photos showcasing what your club/community has done to raise awareness throughout the challenge.
Evidence of the poster locations can be submitted from 30 June 2026 and must be submitted by 31 July 2026.
Evidence of the social media post can only be submitted in the last week of the challenge from Monday 27 to Friday 31 July 2026.
Whichever way you choose, you must upload the minimum required evidence by midnight 31 July 2026 to be eligible for the $20,000 grant.
Who can register?
Only regional or remote football clubs located in South Australia are eligible to register for this challenge. Clubs in the Adelaide Footy League or Southern Football League (SA) are not eligible.
If you are unsure if your club is eligible, please contact us at liftyourgame@cancersa.org.au
Frequently Asked Questions
Is our club eligible?
Only football clubs located in South Australia (based outside of metropolitan Adelaide) and that are part of a South Australian community football league (excluding the Adelaide Footy League or Southern Football League) are eligible to register for this challenge. Cross-border clubs, which have a home ground, based interstate but play in a South Australian league, are not eligible.
If you are not sure if your club is eligible, please contact us at liftyourgame@cancersa.org.au
Why can't metropolitan clubs apply?
Latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing shows that more than half of regional and rural areas in South Australia have below the national average bowel screening participation rates for people aged 50-74. Lift Your Game targets these areas to help raise awareness about bowel screening.
Our club is combined with a netball or other sporting club. Can we still apply?
Yes, you can still apply. You may choose to get both clubs involved in the challenge or just the football club. You should only submit one application, and you should make it clear in your application if both will be participating. If both participate and your club is awarded the grant, funds must be used for something that benefits both clubs.
When can I apply for the challenge?
Clubs can apply between 1 May 2026 and 31 May 2026. The earlier you register, the sooner you will receive your promotional pack and can start the challenge.
How can we make sure our application provides the correct information?
The application form is designed to help you provide the information we are looking for and how much information we expect from you. Questions that are assessed will indicate maximum text limits to give you an understanding of how much detail we would expect.
How will applications be assessed?
Only applications which meet the eligibility criteria will be assessed. There is only one grant totalling $20,000. Therefore, applications will be assessed against each other based on the impact the grant will have, the geographic location of the club, and its relevance to bowel cancer rates and screening participation rates. Weighting is allocated to application questions; the highest-rated application will be awarded funding.
How do I submit the evidence of how we have used the promotional items?
When you are ready to submit your evidence, you can send it to us via email. The terms and conditions on the website have details about what you need to send and when. Your promotional pack also has this information. If you are unsure, or to submit evidence, please contact us via email on liftyourgame@cancersa.org.au
When does the grant applications form close?
The application form closes at midnight on 31 May 2026. Cancer Council SA is unable to accept applications after this time.
When can we start to submit our evidence?
Evidence of the poster locations can be submitted via email from 30 June 2026.
Evidence of the social media post can only be submitted in the last week of the challenge—from Monday 27 until midnight on Friday 31 July 2026.
When will the successful applicant be notified?
Cancer Council SA will notify the successful applicant by 5 August 2026.
When will unsuccessful applicants be notified?
Cancer Council SA will notify all unsuccessful applicants by 6 August 2026.
Can we submit more than one application?
You can only submit one application for your club. If more than one application is submitted for your club, only the latest application will be considered.
Our club isn't a regional Australian rules football club, can we still apply?
This challenge is only open to regional Australian rules football clubs.
For any other queries please contact us at liftyourgame@cancersaorg.au
Lift Your Game application questions
We recommend preparing your responses to the questions in advance and copying them into the online application form.
- How would taking part in this challenge benefit your club and your community?
Please describe the benefits for your club, your members, and the wider community. (Max 300 words.) - Tell us how your club will promote bowel cancer screening during this challenge?
Please describe what you will do, who you will reach, and who in your club will help do this. (Max 200 words.) - From the following list, select the ways your club will use the information and items in the promotional toolkit.
Social media, match‑day announcements, posters, newsletters, player ambassadors, community events, contacting radio stations or newspapers, sharing with community groups, sharing with local businesses, the local council and health related services, other. If you selected ‘other’ please provide detail. - How could your club keep promoting bowel cancer screening after the grant period?
Tell us if any parts of your plan will continue in the future. (Max 100 words.) - Please tell us how you plan to use the funds if you are awarded the $20,000 grant. (Max 200 words.)