Home > Submissions > 2008

Submission by Dr Colin Bell on 05 November 2008.

1. Ensure Australia's continued elite sporting success

We ask the panel to:

• recognise that elite sporting success will not continue without well supported and vibrant community sports programs
• recognize that producing talent for elite sport is a bonus not a purpose of community sport
• recognise that an over emphasis on competition and identifying and nurturing sporting prowess may adversely effect community participation in sport.

2. Better place sport and physical activity as a key component of the Government's preventative health approach

We ask the panel to recognise:

• That community sports organisations make an important contribution to the health of the community.
• That supporting sports clubs to adopt health promoting policies and practices may have a positive impact on a range of community health issues including physical activity, nutrition and mental health.
• That currently community sports organisations face numerous threats to their viability, including difficulties recruiting and retaining volunteers which limit their capacity to engage in initiatives which may promote health.
• That there is a need, and an opportunity to foster and improve partnerships between government, non government and community sporting organisations to ensure the viability of community sport, increase participation in organised sport and improve the health of the community.

Furthermore, we draw the panels attention to:

• the partnership the Good for Kids Good for Life preventive health program (www.goodforkids.nsw.gov.au) has with the Australian Drug Foundations Good Sports program that accredits and supports clubs who take action to
  1. 1.Provide healthier food options
  2. Be inclusive and encourage participation for juniors
  3. Serve alcohol responsibly
  4. The partnership is also working towards supporting Sports Clubs to better meet the needs of Aboriginal Communities.

Over 70 sports clubs from a variety of codes are participating in the program in Hunter and New England Region.

3. Strengthen pathways from junior sport to grassroots community sport right through to elite and professional sport

We have no comment on this criteria.

4. Maintain Australia's cutting edge approach to sports science, research and technology

We ask the panel to recognise:

• The benefits of fostering greater collaboration between researchers, government departments and local community sports organisations to identify opportunities, and develop and evaluate initiatives, to improve sports participation and better the health of the community.

5. Identify opportunities to increase and diversify the funding base for sport through corporate sponsorship, media and any recommended reforms, such as enhancing the effectiveness of the Australian Sports Foundation

We ask the panel to recognise:

• That any commercial sponsorship must be consistent with the values of organisations interested in promoting healthy lifestyles.
• That strategies to secure diverse funding sources for clubs currently exist which do not rely on sponsorship from sources such as the liquor industry. For example, clubs accredited with the ‘Good Sports’ program have been successfully supported to identify such funding sources to ensure their club’s financial viability.
• That cost is an impediment to the participation of both children and adults in organised sport and that reducing the costs of participant registration may improve community participation.

View all submissions

Page last updated: 05 November, 2008