Australian Sports Commission announces nine organisations as Play Well Affiliates

To mark the one-year anniversary of Australia’s Sport Participation Strategy - ‘Play Well’ - the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has announced nine organisations as Play Well Affiliates.

Tomorrow, Saturday 23rd November, marks 12 months since Australia’s Sport Participation Strategy – 'Play Well' was launched.

The nine organisations named as Affiliates will work with the ASC to help more Australians be physically active.

The successful organisations all play a key role in the sport and recreation space, and sit outside the recognised national sporting organisations (NSO) or national sporting organisations for people with disability (NSOD) structure.

AUSactive, Y Australia, Parks and Leisure Australia and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) are among those that will work with the ASC to help more Australians be physically active.

With safe, welcoming, inclusive and fun experiences at the heart of it, Australia’s Sport Participation Strategy is a united approach with a vision that ‘everyone has a place in sport.’

Executive General Manager Sport and Community Capability and Chair of the Play Well Leadership Group Richard McInnes said Affiliates will work with the ASC over the next 12 months to help more Australians play well through involvement in sport and physical activity.

McInnes noted “we’ve made some great progress as we celebrate one year since the strategy was launched and we’re delighted to partner with these organisations who play a key role in helping Australians be active.

“The ASC looks forward to working with the Affiliates to complement the ongoing work with the NSO/NSODs to bring the Play Well strategy to life around Australia.

“These sport and recreation organisations are aligned with our mission to create safe, welcoming, inclusive and fun sporting experiences and will help us deliver on our Horizon One outcomes which includes creating a connected, collaborative and aligned sporting sector.”

Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA) National President Kristin Davies said the PLA was thrilled to help contribute to the strategy sharing “we are proud to be a Play Well Affiliate. This is a huge step for the sport and recreation sector and reflects the strong synergy and alignment between our organisations.”

ACHPER Australia President Sue Whatman said ACHPER was excited to be a Play Well Affiliate and added “ACHPER has been supporting Australians to be active and healthy for 70 years and we look forward to connecting our network with like-minded organisations across the sport ecosystem.”

ASC congratulated the following nine Play Well Affiliate organisations:

• Y Australia

• Parks and Leisure Australia

• AFL Masters

• Invictus Australia

• Masters Swimming Australia Inc

• ACHPER

• UniSport

• AUSactive

• School Sport Australia

The ASC shares the following look back at the last 12 months:

23rd November 2023: Australia’s Sport Participation Strategy Play Well launched.

23rd November 2023: Play Well Participation Grant program opens.

19th December 2023: Nominations open to join a Play Well Leadership Group to oversee the implementation of the strategy.

27th March 2024: A 14-person group of experts including the founder of parkrun Australia and a four-time Paralympian are announced as the Play Well Leadership Group that will oversee the implementation of the strategy.

14th May 2024: 54 industry leaders join five project squads to help deliver the 34 priority activities identified in the strategy.

21st May 2024: $10.3 million announced for projects to get more Aussies moving thanks to the ASC’s Play Well Participation Grants.

13th August 2024: Play Well Implementation Plan launched which details the priority activities scheduled to be completed this financial year.

19th August 2024: Play Well Affiliate program announced to ensure more organisations can help transform sport participation across Australia.

20th August 2024: Physical Literacy Coalition announced to help ensure that physical literacy – building the skills to help us lead active lives – is a core component of every child’s development and education.

20th September 2024: ASC and sector stakeholders hit the road to deliver a series of workshops focused on putting Play Well into action.

22nd October 2024: Cost of sport surveys announced to help understand how to make community sport more affordable for all.

8th November 2024: Announcement of the Play Well Marketing, Media and Communication Network that will advocate for the strategy.

23rd November 2024: Play Well Affiliates announced on strategy’s first anniversary.

More information on the Play Well Strategy.