QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO JUNIOR SPORT

Sport Minister Judy Spence has invited sport industry leaders and participants to attend a special summit in March at the QEII Stadium at Nathan to find ways to make junior sport more affordable.

Ms Spence said that tough economic times meant it was difficult for parents to pay dues to local sporting clubs and buy uniforms and equipment for their children.

“The State government invests millions of dollars in local clubs across Queensland and it is money well spent,” said Ms Spence.

“An important part of the government’s Q2 vision is to see Queenslanders become Australia’s healthiest people and encouraging our young people to get involved in sport is a huge part of that.

“That’s why I am inviting sport industry leaders and participants to attend a summit in March at the QEII Stadium at Nathan to generate practical ideas and opportunities for the industry to help make junior sport more affordable.

“This is about working together and working smarter so that our children can keep playing and enjoying their sport.”

Ms Spence also called on local sports clubs to apply for the State Government’s Q2 Healthy Communities competition which offered them the opportunity to gain $1Million worth of infrastructure for their local club.

“This is an opportunity for a club to showcase the good work they are already doing and possibly be rewarded with up to $1 million to build a new clubhouse or another new facility.”

Judy Spence said the Government was committed to providing affordable opportunities for Queensland children to participate in sport and recreation.

“This year alone (2008-09) we have committed over $150 million to our sport and recreation budget – of which more than $78 million goes directly to sporting clubs and associations, councils and schools to provide facilities, programs and services for people to participate in sport and recreation,” she said.

“We do this because we recognise that participating in sport and recreation is essential to building vibrant, livable communities.

“In particular, it is an important part of growing up for our children and young people and this is why we place a very high priority on supporting junior sport.

“For our children, sport teaches important values and life skills including self confidence, teamwork, communication, inclusion, discipline, respect and fair play. By giving children and adults something fun to focus on, we reduce the likelihood of anti-social behaviour.

“Playing sport or being physically active also improves a child’s ability to learn, increases concentration, attendance and overall achievement. Children learn better when they are having fun and being active.

“I recognise that in the current era of financial uncertainty, many families will be grappling with the cost of keeping their children playing sport. The same can also be said about the costs of playing a musical instrument, pursuing other artistic pursuits, or simply just being able to make sure our kids have a bike to ride.

“I know that some families are making hard choices about whether they can afford to keep their kids in sport – and the Queensland Government wants to assure these Mums and Dads that our commitment and support for junior sport remains as strong as ever.”

Since January 2004, the Queensland Government has:

·provided over $61 million to State level sport and recreation organisations to develop their sport and provide services to affiliated clubs;

·distributed over $15 million to local sport and recreation clubs throughout Queensland to build participation, improve training opportunities and plan the future of their sport;

·committed more than $139 million to clubs, councils and schools to upgrade or develop sport and recreation facilities in communities right across Queensland;

·helped over 10,000 young Queenslanders pursue their dreams by assisting with the costs of attending State level sporting competitions through our Young Athlete Assistance Program;

·helped build the skills and capacity of clubs, coaches and officials through the extensive delivery of free programs such as the Locker Rooms, Building Active Communities workshops and the Get Active Accreditation Program right across the state – from remote islands in the Torres Strait to the Gold Coast; and

·lead a concerted campaign to stamp out inappropriate behaviour in junior sport through our True Sport Lives Here program.

To successfully address the cost of participating in junior sport, we as government are prepared to work with all stakeholders in the sport industry. Clubs and state level associations set their own constitutions, rules and fees structures and affordability really needs to be a more prominent consdiertion now more than ever.

The Queensland Government is making a significant investment in facilities, programs and service delivery for sport – the state level organisations and the clubs need to look at every opportunity to keep costs down and make their product more affordable.

That is why the Department of Sport and Recreation's Sport advisors will also be available to work with clubs in their local area to help them with ways to reduce their costs.

Some of the simple and easy ways that will be considered at the Summit that clubs may be able to do to reduce the costs for participants will be:

·have basic uniforms, such a polo shirts, rather than specialised jerseys and don’t change the style or colour of the jersey every year or two;

·in the much younger grades – when children’s feet are growing rapidly – allow more affordable footwear (such as joggers and sandshoes) rather than specialised boots;

·share facilities and resources with other clubs. Where facilities are limited, see if the club can use the local school facilities;

·seek sponsorships for the team or the club from local sporting goods suppliers or other businesses in the community;

·offer membership discounts where the parent/s are prepared to volunteer with the club throughout the season;

·provide a reduced membership fee for families with more than one child joining a club;

·where possible, offer a variety of payment options (eg. 2 or 3 payment instalments, weekly direct debit);

·for the winter sport season, delay “sign on” weekends for at least two weeks after school commences to help families get over the expensive Christmas/Back to School period. Alternatively, allow families to pay membership fees a month after they join up (if the sign on weekend can’t be shifted because of timing of competitions).

Some of the ideas that will be canvassed with State level sporting organisations include:

·Making rules and policies more flexible – particularly in the younger years. For example, rules relating to uniforms for up to 10 years of age could allow cheaper options such as t-shirts rather than jerseys;

·Investigating single “whole sport” insurance packaging to cover all affiliated clubs. In many cases this should lead to lower insurance costs for clubs;

·Providing education and training to affiliated clubs on how the best manage revenue and costs;

·Working with other sports to identify savings in regional and local areas eg education and training workshops which might be delivered to individual sports in a region, could be pooled across sports to save costs;

·Streamlining membership, affiliation and competition fees so that clubs and families are not paying for multiple levels of governance and administration; and

·looking at State wide bulk purchasing options for equipment, uniforms and office supplies to keep costs down for clubs.

For more information about how you can be involved in the Sports Summit please call: 1300 656 191 or go to www.sportrec.qld.gov.au

Contact: Simon Tutt 3239 0153