How We Invested Your Membership This Season
From the CEO of NSW Triathlon
As another triathlon season comes to a close, I’m proud to say that, by nearly every measure—it’s been a resounding success!
Soon, you’ll be deciding whether to rejoin your club and the NSW Triathlon community for the 2025/2026 season. With that in mind, I wanted to share exactly how your membership fees have been used—and the impact they’ve had on our sport, your clubs, and the broader triathlon community.
Your Membership: Fuel for the Entire Ecosystem
NSW Triathlon exists because of our clubs and members. Quite simply, we can only do what we do—hire staff, run programs, support clubs—because of the fees you contribute.
A portion of your membership goes to AusTriathlon, our national body. They manage the National Insurance Scheme, maintain our IT infrastructure (including the membership database and websites), and this year, they’re also supporting the World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong as part of the Local Organising Committee.
The remainder returns to NSW Triathlon to help us do what we do best: serve you. From club support and event sanctioning to development pathways and inclusive participation programs, your contribution powers it all.
Doing More with Less: Our Staff’s Impact
With just 3.5 employees, we punch well above our weight:
- Sanctioning events for both clubs and commercial race directors
- Supporting clubs with marketing, communications, governance and admin services
- Delivering a robust Technical Officials program
- Running the nation’s leading Development Program for Youth, Junior and U23 athletes
- Expanding the award-winning Finish Lines… Not Finish Times program for female participation
- Hosting the NSW Triathlon Club Championships—the biggest season finale celebration on the calendar
Supporting Clubs & Volunteers
Our Clubs, Memberships and Partnerships Manager, Tom Bonnafoux, continues to play a vital role supporting grassroots clubs. In his second year, he’s worked directly with volunteers to ease their workloads and provide tailored guidance.
Tom has also helped clubs meet the NSW Government’s ‘10 Child Safe Standards’, ensuring we provide safe and supportive environments for all juniors. No two clubs are the same, so we take a personalised approach to help each succeed.
Building Stronger Events and Communities
We value our partnerships with commercial race directors, big and small. Their strength supports our clubs, and strong events mean strong membership. It’s a cycle that keeps the sport thriving.
Our Sanctioning Officer, Dave Williams, continues to provide this service—free to affiliated clubs—ensuring events remain safe, fair, and professionally managed.
Growing the Future of Triathlon
Led by Robyn Low-Hart, our Development Program continues to set the national benchmark. Robyn’s work spans coaching education, the Rest of State Talent Academy (ROSTA), and close partnerships with Regional Academies of Sport, AusTriathlon and ACT Triathlon.
The Billigence Pathway Series, made possible by the generous support of Jana and Michael Kapr, remains a national standard for athlete development. It’s paving the way for NSW/ACT athletes to shine on the world stage.
Driving Engagement & Visibility
This season, Erica Galea joined as our Marketing & Communications lead. Her passion for triathlon has already made a huge difference.
From regular “What’s on This Weekend” social media posts to club spotlights, sponsor features and human-interest stories, Erica’s work ensures our sport, our people, and our clubs are in the spotlight where they belong.
Welcoming More Women Into the Sport
The Finish Lines… Not Finish Times program saw another 575 women try triathlon for the first time. Delivered by our clubs, this initiative removes barriers and creates welcoming, low-cost pathways into the sport. It’s been such a success that it was showcased by the NSW Office of Sport as a flagship initiative at their ‘Showstopper’ event.
Keeping Events Safe and Fair
Under Sue Horsburgh’s guidance, the NSW Technical Program continues to thrive. Her leadership brings energy to our Technical Officials community through newsletters, training courses, and our annual forum, ensuring every sanctioned event has the right support on the ground.
In Closing
I could go on (and on!), but I know you’d probably rather be out swimming, cycling, or running—confident that your membership includes comprehensive national insurance just in case something goes wrong.
As we like to say: you wouldn’t hesitate to invest in a helmet to protect your head. Your membership protects so much more—and helps grow, support, and secure the future of triathlon in NSW.
We’re proud of what we’ve built with your support, and we can’t wait to welcome you back for an even bigger, better 2025/2026 season.
Yours in triathlon,
Adam Wicks
Chief Executive Officer
NSW Triathlon
