Former Gymnastics Tasmania President calls for ‘unrestricted independent governance review’ of the sport

Marc Moncur, owner of Tasmanian-based Gymsports Management and former President of Gymnastics Tasmania, has released a white paper, the Future of Gymnastics Australia, in which he calls for “a full unrestricted independent governance review in respect to gymnastics in Australia and to present their findings to the gymnastics community by July 2025.”

Moncur, a former gymnast and coach who was President of Gymnastics Tasmania President 2005 to 2015, who established Gymsports Management in 1999, explains “I am deeply committed to the sport of gymnastics and have volunteered thousands of hours across all facets from the delivery of sport and events, to the administration and governance of gymnastics.

“In recent years, I have become concerned that our sport is becoming divided. The more I investigated, the more worried I became about the future of gymnastics.

“As a former State President, I have participated in three governance and membership reviews. This White Paper allows me to share my insights with the gymnastics community, drawn from my experience within the Gymnastics Australia structure.”

With Gymnastics Australia having faced a testing few years - covered in a feature in Australasian Leisure Management issue 162 earlier this year - Moncur notes that the sport “faces challenges with an outdated governance model established in the 1940s, poor financial health, declining membership and new competition in the market.”

With a commitment to the future of the sport, Moncur notes in the white paper’s executive summary “gymnastics in Australia operates in a highly competitive sports and children’s activity program market, Gymnastics has over 600 not-for-profit and privately owned clubs, employing over 10,000 people and generating over $250 million annually.”

Governance
Moncur explains “whilst the federated model of governance has served gymnastics since its formation, a large amount of literature promotes the benefits of the unitary model of governance with several sports recently moving to this model.

“Since 2010, the federated governance model has contributed to substantial leadership turnover at Gymnastics Australia, including seven Presidents and six CEOs.

The bottom-up funding model (National body receives majority of income from grassroots members) common in poorly funded federated national sports organisations like Gymnastics Australia has left them financially vulnerable and at risk of insolvency.”

As a result he makes four key recommendations

Recommendation 1
Gymnastics Australia - with the support of the state sporting organisations (SSOs) - to commission a full unrestricted independent governance review in respect to gymnastics in Australia and to present their findings to the gymnastics community by July 2025.

Gymnastics Australia represents its members, catering to their different expectations of benefits. No single person or group owns the organisation; those in power are temporary stewards appointed to safeguard and pass on the sport to future leaders. They must ensure they operate under the best governance model to protect the sport and secure its future viability.

Competition in the Marketplace
For the first time, Gymnastics Australia and SSOs are facing strong competitors to their membership model that challenges their influence in Australian gymnastics. These privately owned business competitors are here to stay offering clubs choice in previously monopolised services. A divided sport will only hinder progress by diverting resources. It is crucial to find common ground and establish productive partnerships with other entities entering the gymnastics market.

Recommendation 2
Gymnastics Australia will take the lead in exploring a new operating model designed to encourage entrepreneurial thinking within the gymnastics service sector. This may include building mutually beneficial partnerships with organizations, while continuing to support small, remote, and disadvantaged groups and ensuring financial sustainability for Gymnastics Australia.

Service Delivery
Nearly 60% of clubs that participated in the club survey (noting that this reflects only the views of respondents and may not represent all clubs registered with Gymnastics Australia) are considering or potentially considering leaving Gymnastics Australia. This suggests that the value proposition offered by Gymnastics Australia and SSOs may not align with the expectations of many clubs.

Gymnastics Australia and State Sporting Organisations (SSOs) are continuing to use a service delivery model that was effective when most clubs were run by volunteers and had similar needs. However, clubs now vary from volunteer organisations with fewer than 20 members, to large companies and corporations with full-time staff and multimillion-dollar turnovers, necessitating a new service delivery approach.

Recommendation 3
Gymnastics Australia to transition from a “one size fits all” service model to a pay-per-service approach, allowing them to lower both membership and service delivery expenses.

As new organisations start offering services traditionally provided by Gymnastics Australia, this enables Gymnastics Australia to streamline its operations and focus on core responsibilities unique to the national body.

Recommendation 4
Gymnastics Australia will identify their core services and focus on delivering these services at a high standard.

With Gymnastics Australia facing challenging issues now is the time for leaders of our sport from GA, NSO’s, clubs and external providers to come together and lead Gymnastics Australia into a future where.

• We have an efficient governance system and financial stability.

• Effective high-performance plans and safe sport strategies.

• Clubs see value in being a member and participant numbers are increasing.

• Innovation and collaboration in the best interest of the sport is encouraged.

The Future of Gymnastics in Australia
Moncur goes on to explain that “gymnastics, like all sports in Australia, competes in one of the world’s toughest sport markets. With 33 highly competitive Olympic sports, numerous successful professional leagues, and a total of 102 recognised national sports, the competition for participants, talent and investment is fierce.

“Gymnastics has developed into an industry with over 300 not for profit clubs and over 300 privately owned gym clubs ranging from small business through to large corporations and franchises.

“It is estimated in Australia to have a paid workforce of over 10,000 full time equivalent paid employees and a turnover of over $250 million per year growing year on year. Within this challenging landscape, gymnastics remains a popular sport in Australia.

Recreational Gymnastics Australia
Moncur adds that “adding to the complexity, Recreational Gymnastics Australia (RGA) now directly competes with Gymnastics Australia.

“RGA (owned by the Belgravia Group) offers insurance, coach education and competitions. By the end of 2024, RGA states that over 36,000 children will be participating in gymnastics under their structure.

“These participants from RGA are independent of Gymnastics Australia.

Disruption
“Gymnastics Australia operates under a federated governance model, with eight member associations (SSO’s) - one in each state and territory. Gymnastics Australia has had a large turnover of leadership.

“Since 2010, Gymnastics Australia has seen seven different Presidents and six CEOs, indicating organisational challenges.

“Recent comments from the CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, Kieren Perkins, highlight the issues with the federated model in Australia. Perkins argues that a poorly run federated model is jeopardising sports’ future.

“He points out that difficulties arise when state interests compete with national priorities. (Benton, 2024) Financial struggles have affected Gymnastics Australia in recent years. In 2019, the equity stood at -$351,189 (GA, Gymnastics Australia Annual Report 2019, 2020). In 2023, it had improved to $292,913 however the auditors drew attention to the concern that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern (GA, Gymnastics Australia Annual Report 2023, 2024). Interestingly, SSO’s remain financially robust, with SSO’s having a combined equity of $9,336,441 (GNSW, 2024) (GNT, 2024), (GQ, Gymnastics Queensland Annual Report 2023, 2024), (ACT, 2024), (GSA, 2024), (GT, 2024), (GV, Gymnastics Victoria Annual Report 2023, 2024), (GWA, 2024) - almost 32 times higher than Gymnastics Australia’s.”

Moncur concludes “the future of gymnastics in Australia faces both challenges and opportunities. Navigating governance models, financial stability, and a focus on the core responsibilities is desperately needed for the future of gymnastics in Australia to be successful.”

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