Club values the key: Woosha

Former West Coast Eagles premiership captain and coach John Worsfold last week shared insights into the Ben Cousins saga as a way to pass on leadership tips to Pilbara businesses and sports clubs.

Worsfold said it was critical for businesses and sports clubs to publicly define the culture and values they stand for.

Harking back to Cousins, Worsfold told Hedland sports clubs the star player left the club because his fellow Eagles players stood up against drug and alcohol abuse.

"I get quizzed in the media, people have pot shots at the Eagles around the way we handled that," he said.

"They think we reacted slow and late, when I think the only reason Ben got caught out was because his teammates held him accountable to the values they developed."

Worsfold said there had been early whispers about Cousins using drugs during his off-seasons, but management had little evidence to go on.

However, at the start of the 2005 season, the Eagles players were asked to vote on the values they wanted to uphold.

Along with a series of on-field behaviours, they listed a statement that they would not abuse drugs and alcohol.

Worsfold said because players created that value themselves, he was able to then use it to hold Cousins to account over the subsequent years until eventually the club let him go in 2007.

"The media didn't know what our vision was in 2005 … but that is what caught him out," Worsfold said.

While the incident played out at elite level sport, Worsfold said the lessons could be equally applied to local clubs. During a fruitful discussion, he said the key for local clubs was to also publicly create a list of values they stood for.

Provided there were good reasons for each value and everyone understood what they were, he said they could be used to promote strong cultures.

He said if some members didn't buy into the values and left the club, it was not a loss because what was left behind was a core group of committed, positive people.

For more resources on how to build a sports or community club visit the DSR's website at http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/clubs.