The Active Australia Provider Network
Increasingly local sporting clubs are under pressure to respond to the changing social and economic needs of their communities as well as catering to a more demanding client group. The need for continuous improvement is critical to their viability.
How do the clubs in your Council region shape up?
Sporting clubs need to be:
- Problem solvers
- Well prepared
- Have committed and well trained people
- Share common visions and goals
- Be responsive to member needs
- Provide well planned and appropriate activities.
The Australian Sports Commission has recently completed a major overhaul of its club development program, the Active Australia Provider, to assist local clubs and associations to shape up and be the best they can be.
The reshaped Provider process focuses on developing sport and recreation clubs and helping them onto the continuous improvement road, rather than evaluating their performance.
On becoming involved in the program, a club does a stock take of various aspects of its management and operation.
In doing so, it identifies areas for improvement and develops an action plan for addressing them.
The club is then provided with expert feedback and advice on the proposed action plan by Active Australia consultants, and referred to various organisations in the local area that can provide assistance in addressing the issues identified.
A successful, well run sporting club needs a clear understanding of leadership, planning, organisational development, people and a strong member focus.
These areas form the basis of the revised Provider Checklist, derived from the Australian Quality Council’s Business Excellence Framework.
An Active Australia Provider initiative in South Australia involves the Office for Recreation and Sport (ORS), in association with local Councils, rolling out a series of Provider Club Development Workshops to community recreation and sporting clubs.
The ORS offers a small subsidy to councils to host an Active Australia Provider Club Development workshop for all of their recreation and sporting clubs.
The level of interest from Councils throughout the state, particularly from those in country areas, indicates that the Provider process offers benefits to the local Council and the entire local community.
There is agreement that helping community clubs improve their operations and become sustainable has tremendous flow on returns – social and economic.
According to Theresa Daniel, of Yankalilla District Council, sporting club administrators will be better able to ensure the efficient and effective long term management of their relevant club.
This involves the effective administration and all other relevant functions of the club.
Les Dennis from the City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters agrees.
“Organisations attending will benefit by receiving information that will improve their performance and efficiency,” he said.
For information about this South Australian initiative contact David Nash at the Office for Recreation and Sport (08) 8416 6723.
The Active Australia Provider allows Councils to operate in a proactive rather than reactive way with clubs. Councils benefit from the effective use of expensive sport and recreation facilities and of their grants to local clubs.
Your Council can help clubs become part of the Provider Network and be the best they can be through the following:
- Ring the National Club Development hotline on 1300 130 121 for copies of the Active Australia Provider brochure.
- Promote the benefits of continuous improvement and of becoming a better managed club.
- Support clubs to identify their developmental needs.
- Congratulate and acknowledge their work as they strive to be the best they can be!
