FACT SHEET
Australian Sports Commission's Targeted Sports Participation Growth Program

• The Federal Government's new sports policy Backing Australia's Sporting Ability - a More Active Australia gave the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) a clear direction to focus on increasing participation in organised sport, particularly at the club and school levels. The policy also seeks to find new ways of establishing partnerships between sport and business to enhance the sustainability of participation growth.
• The ASC's new Targeted Sports Participation Growth Program achieves these objectives. It is a three-way partnership between government, business and sport.
• The Program targets a small number of sports for special support, under the Australian Sports Commission's Active Australia banner, to grow their business by expanding active membership of clubs and associations.
• By targeting mostly larger sports with an already extensive club infrastructure, the ASC aims to achieve significant growth in the number of people of all ages participating in grassroots sport.
• The ASC's approach is to work actively in partnership with the targeted sports to deliver a program of sustainable participation growth. The ASC provides both financial and service support to sports. The ASC provides service support by giving access to the resources, programs and expertise of its Sport Development Group.
• One criterion for assistance under the targeted sports program is for the sport to have a corporate sector partner for their initiative. The aim is to form strong partnerships between national sporting organisations, corporate sector sponsors and government to help boost grassroots sport.
• Up to 20 sports will be involved in the Targeted Sports Participation Growth Program over the next four years. To spread the requirement for funding support and services over the next four years, a two-stage approach has been adopted, with 10 sports invited to participate in 2001-02 to 2003-04 and a second group from 2002-03 to 2004-05.

1st Phase Sports - 2001-02 to 2003-04
AFL, Athletics, Basketball, Golf, Gymnastics, Netball, Soccer, Softball/Baseball, Tennis, Touch.

2nd Phase Sports - 2002-03 to 2004-05
Sailing, Cricket, Hockey, Swimming, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Equestrian, Bowls, Volleyball, Surfing, Surf Life Saving, Cycling.

It is possible the ASC may offer a small number of stage-two sports the opportunity to join the 10 stage-one sports in developing a program to be rolled out in 2001-02.

Factors taken into account in identifying these sports include:

• current registered membership;
• level of the club and association infrastructure, i.e. the number of affiliated local associations and clubs in the sport;
• extent of national coverage of the clubs in the sport, including into regional and rural areas; and
• potential to increase active membership (as indicated by ABS and other reports on participation in the sport).

The AFL Auskick Active Australia Partnership

• AFL Auskick is for primary school-aged children and their parents. A modified form of AFL focusing on fun, fitness and skill, it is run by trained personnel and parents in local communities. Almost 100,000 boys and girls were registered in the Program in 2001.
• The Program's target is to grow Auskick registrations to 145,000 by 2004 and increase total registered membership (Auskick, junior, youth and open age) to more than 500,000 by 2004.
• The ASC will invest $1 million in support over three years (2001-02 to 2003-04) in the AFL's Auskick Program. The AFL has secured Simpson as a principal sponsor for the Auskick Program, worth $3 million over three years.
• The partnership will draw together the AFL Auskick, ASC's Active Australia and Simpson brands and provide significant benefits to communities throughout Australia. The investment by the Federal Government and Simpson will:
• provide greater opportunities to raise awareness of the Program and for the AFL to recruit new participants.;
• extend the reach of the Program and the brands into regional, rural and Indigenous communities;
• develop a more cohesive national participation pathway and link Auskick participants into ongoing club membership; and
• promote club and community values.