From the NSW Triathlon CEO – How have we invested your membership money this season?
The sun sets on another season, which by the vast majority of metrics we consider has been a huge success.
Once again, within the next few weeks, each of you will be making the decision if you choose to re-join our association and your local club for season 2024/2025.
Your membership is the reason our association exists. Your membership fees are the reason we have employees. So renewal time is the perfect time to give you an insight into where your hard-earned dollars and cents have been invested for the betterment of the sport we all love.
You are more than likely aware that some of your fees goes back to our national body, AusTriathlon and in turn, their staff manage the national insurance scheme, provide IT support nationally, create and align national policies and procedures, just to name a few.
The amount allocated back to NSW Triathlon allows us to hire staff, conduct programs that support clubs and in turn, helps local grass roots members. It’s a simple ecosystem that makes membership critical revenue.
We are very proud of what we have once again achieved with our small but dedicated staff.
With a current head count of 3.5 FTE, we provide club and commercial event sanctioning, club support and services, marketing and comm’s (both for commercial Race Directors and Clubs), run a quality Technical Official program and the country’s leading Development Program, ensuring that quality Youth, Junior and U23 athletes achieve their potential, supported by their Daily Training Environment.
This season, we welcomed our new Clubs, Memberships and Partnerships Manager, Tom Bonnafoux, who has worked with our clubs at the grass roots. His relationship with the clubs allows him to understand their individual strengths, weaknesses and goals. His role exists to make the lives of volunteers as easy as possible allowing them to focus on what matters to them most.
All clubs are unique and different, as such, there can be no ‘one size fits all’ approach to how they operate or what they hope to achieve. We also work hand in glove with our Commercial Race Director partners, irrespective of whether they are large or small. They are all critical parts of the triathlon system. If they are strong, the sport of triathlon is strong, as are our clubs.
Strong membership means strong events. Strong events means strong membership.
The Interclub Leagues (ICL) continued for its 6th season.
We remain confident that this program has allowed us to reward and recognise our members who race regularly, better than ever before. It’s a significant investment of time and effort from Tom to coordinate, but we track engagement of clubs and Race Directors and clubs, ensuring that this investment is justified.
Robyn Low-Hart continued to deliver our Development Program and the Inspire 2 Tri female coaching program. She delivers the Rest of State Talent Academy (ROSTA) and ensures alignment and partnerships with Regional Academy of Sports, Triathlon Australia and the ACT. Membership revenue, contributed by you, allows us to support these programs and give more opportunities to more juniors.
The Billigence Pathway Series has continued to set the standard for what AusTriathlon is seeking for the rest of the country. We extend a huge thanks to Jana and Michael Kapr (Billigence) for their continued confidence and investment into the NSW / ACT Development Pathway – which we hope will set the sport up for success at future major games and international events.
Our Marketing and Comms staff member resigned during the season and was replaced with Adelaide Anderson. Adelaide works alongside all our stakeholders to promote events, programs and clubs. The ‘What’s on this weekend’ social media post has continued, ensuring our NSW clubs are featured front and center and regularly promoted. But she does so much more, promoting events, sponsors, individual stories and clubs. Adelaide’s role is one of the most important, because it’s vital we let everyone know about all the great things we, and clubs, are doing.
A culmination of the ‘Finish Lines…Not Finish Times’ program occurred. Another 1000 new females trying the sport. This program, delivered by our affiliated clubs ensured we are able to deliver low-cost events, reduce barriers to participation and promote inclusive sport experiences. This program has had everything we love. Our clubs being the shop front for new athletes, working locally amongst their community and just doing a great job to promote the sport. It has been a huge investment of time and energy to grow females in our sport, and has been recognised by the NSW Office of Sport as a huge success, being showcased at the Office of Sports ‘Showstopper’ event.
Our sanctioning officer, Dave Williams, continues to work with our commercial Race Directors to provide sanctioning. We are happy that this remains a free service offered to our affiliated clubs’ network. We provide guidance to ensure races are run fairly and safely. For the majority of our members, this service remains the biggest benefit of their membership, although for most, this is often the least understood. Sue Horsburgh manages the NSW Triathlon Technical Program, which ensures that every Commercial run and sanctioned event in NSW has a technical presence. Technical Officials are a critical feature of Triathlon SNW, ensuring events are fair and safe!
I could write forever, but I’m not convinced busy individuals who make up our community want to read forever! Wouldn’t you rather get out and go for a swim, cycle or run, comfortable in the knowledge that you’ve got the National Insurance Scheme just in case you are involved in an accident?
As we always say, how much do you pay for your helmet, and that protects your head. The membership provides protection for the entire body!
In essence, membership money allows us to hire staff, which allows us to develop the sport across the state, support our clubs and achieve our constitutionally mandated outcomes.
We look forward to seeing all our wonderful members returning for a hugely successful 2024/2025 season full of friendship and great times!
Kind Regards,
Adam Wicks
Chief Executive Officer- NSW Triathlon
