Recently, we sat down with Tom Dixon from Play by the Rules and Junior Melo from CMSport to talk about inclusion strategies and the upcoming DISA 2026 Forum: Agitate, Innovate, Orchestrate. What started as a conversation about a conference became something much more meaningful: a discussion about how we all play a role in creating inclusion strategies and systems that work for everyone.
The Evolution: From Theory to Action
Last year’s DISA Forum centered on belonging. The idea that inclusion isn’t a nice-to-have but essential for sport to function properly. This year’s theme represents a deliberate shift. As Tom explained, after exploring intersectionality and the emotional foundations of belonging, the planning committee recognised that people in sports administration are doers. They want to walk away with practical actions to assess their inclusion strategy, not just concepts.
“People are keen to hear about the practical actions people have taken and to walk away feeling like, what do I do now?” Tom said. That feedback shaped this year’s forum into something action-focused, something that equips attendees with tools they can use immediately.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. As Tom noted, it’s been a tough year globally, with significant pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies. The forum’s focus on agitate, innovate, and orchestrate isn’t just about progress. It’s about resilience and maintaining momentum when the path forward gets difficult.
Why Agitation Matters for Effective Inclusion Strategies
The word “agitate” is intentionally provocative. As Junior explained, agitation starts by surfacing lived experience and naming the barriers people still face. It’s about bringing issues to the centre of the sports ecosystem and creating space for conversations that are uncomfortable, but necessary.
There’s a clear line between productive and unproductive agitation. Tom noted that social change is rarely linear – it involves progress, pushback, and course correction. Even with real gains in Australian sport, there’s a risk of complacency and false narratives that suggest the work is done, when discrimination, vilification, and inequity persist. Agitation helps reset that reality and keep attention on what still needs to change.
Because sport operates so publicly, its impact extends well beyond the field. When sport agitates well, it can influence broader community attitudes and behaviours. Positive change of this kind in sport rarely stays contained to the sector.
Importantly, these aren’t fixed roles. As Tom put it, people move between them depending on the problem they’re trying to solve and the system they’re working within. At different moments, progress might require challenging assumptions, testing new approaches, or coordinating people, policies, and resources so change actually sticks. Junior’s challenge to patrons on at the Forum is a practical one: what role are you playing right now, and how are you using the influence you have to make inclusion real, not just aspirational?
The Grassroots Reality
One part of our conversation that really resonated focused on where inclusion actually happens… not in boardrooms or elite sport press conferences, but at Saturday morning sport. Junior and Tom both emphasised that while change might be initiated at the elite level with new policies and public commitments, the real test happens at the community level.
Tom, who’s served on club committees himself, spoke passionately about the power of local communities coming together to coordinate things in a way that works for them. “People don’t necessarily choose their postcode where they’re born and the opportunities can differ”, he said. “When local champions are able to step up and go, there’s a gap here, we need to do some engagement locally, that can just be so powerful.”
Junior acknowledged the limitations like resources, volunteers, people who want to do more but are stretched thin. This is where forums like DISA become crucial. They provide practical support for moving beyond statements to accountability, making inclusion not just an option but integral to how organisations define success.
Why This Matters
At Rely, we’re a supporting partner of DISA 2026 because the themes of this forum resonate deeply with our work. When we talk about building software for sports organisations, we’re really talking about building systems that serve diverse communities.
Junior described the DISA forum as “a working space”. Bringing together sports organisations, government, researchers, and people with lived experience all in one room. Real inclusion happens when diverse perspectives shape the system from the ground up, not when homogeneous teams try to imagine what “users” might need.
What to Expect at the Forum
The DISA 2026 Forum is happening on January 30th at Zinc at Fed Square in Melbourne, with both in-person and online options. The speaker lineup is impressive, Dylan Alcott, Tanya Hosch (formerly of the AFL and Reconciliation Australia), Shauna Bookal (President and CEO of the Canadian Inclusion in Sports Network), and a local case study from Phoenix Basketball Club in Broadmeadows about creating opportunities for kids from the ground up.
It’s a vibrant working space with practical activities designed to help attendees reflect on what agitation, innovation, and orchestration look like in their specific contexts. You’ll leave with real examples of system-shifting inclusion and concrete actions you can take.
Partnership with the Australian Open means tickets include ground pass access to Women and Girls Day on January 29th and Pride Day on January 30th, with optional behind-the-scenes tours of AO DEI initiatives.
Making It More Than a Moment
Ready to be part of the movement? Tickets for the DISA 2026 Forum are available now. Visit the event page to register for in-person or online attendance. As an official partner, Rely is proud to support this crucial work, because accessibility and inclusion aren’t just values we hold, they’re the foundation of everything we build.
Learn more about the DISA 2026 Forum: Agitate, Innovate, Orchestrate at Eventbrite
