The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) and CLUBMAP are proud to announce an exciting new partnership to guide Australian community sporting clubs to success, both on and off the field.

“The proven CLUBMAP approach shows volunteer committees how to create healthy, thriving sports clubs that connect to their communities,” said CLUBMAP Co-Founder and CEO Terry Dillon, whose career as a senior AFL executive included roles as CFO, COO and acting-CEO at Hawthorn, Collingwood and St Kilda Football Clubs.

“During more than 30 years in community and professional sport, I have seen the importance of volunteers at every level. The most important step a community sports club can take is to make life easy for the people who are running the club. One of the ways to do this is diversification of revenue streams, which is why we’ve long been recommending the Australian Sports Foundation,” said Mr Dillon.

“We are thrilled to partner with CLUBMAP, who deliver exceptional guidance to sports clubs, enabling them to be sustainable and successful through best club administrative practices. This partnership means we can better align our support for community sports clubs, who are still facing ongoing challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Australian Sports Foundation CEO Patrick Walker.

“ASF and CLUBMAP working together will mean community sports clubs will have the best administration models from CLUBMAP alongside the tax-deductible fundraising capabilities of the ASF to equip themselves for the future.  

“Further, both organisations recognise that tomorrow’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes are participants in community sport right now. Together, we can create a ten-year pathway for athletes from all corners of Australia,” said Mr Walker.

The initiative will focus on delivering strategic advice, resources and tax-deductible fundraising opportunities to sporting clubs across Australia with importance placed on revenue generation and good governance in sports committee structures.

The ASF’s recent survey on the impact of COVID-19 on Australia’s estimated 70,000 community clubs found that 50% of community sports clubs reported that their financial reserves were in decline, and 42% of clubs reported a decline in volunteering, in large part due to the increase in workload, pressures and responsibilities of implementing COVID-19 protocols.

With the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still to play out and local emergencies, such as floods and bushfires, in the wings, community sports clubs need help to continue to perform their vital role in communities around Australia.

Australian sporting clubs in need of financial or structural support are invited to join a free webinar, presented by CLUBMAP and ASF on Monday 9 May.

13 May 2022

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