Historic partnership between Swimming Australia and Australian Swimmers Association unveiled in Melbourne

Swimming Australia and the Australian Swimmers Association (ASA) have today unveiled an historic partnership with the two organisations this morning announcing an historic Memorandum of Understanding.

Following comprehensive negotiations with the ASA, Swimming Australia is pleased to have delivered a new agreement designed to provide real benefit for the swimmers as well as the sport as a whole, to leverage the unique ‘green and gold’ runway towards Victoria 2026 and Brisbane 2032.

For the first time in the sport, athletes will now receive in a share of Swimming Australia’s commercial revenue from sponsorship, broadcast rights and licensing and will work collaboratively with the business to drive outcomes across these areas.

This partnership brings Swimming Australia’s support of the athletes out of the water, acknowledging the key role they play in the sports success and building the foundation for greater financial sustainability for swimmers now and in the future.   

Swimming Australia will continue to work with the ASA on the development of policies for the Dolphins swim team and ensure there is alignment on other key initiatives that support the athletes in their daily environments.

Advising that the MOU will allow the governing body to have a transparent relationship with athletes to create ‘win/wins’ for the swimming community, Swimming Australia President, Dr Michelle Gallen stated “this MOU represents a significant step for our sport and has laid a solid foundation for all parties who share a common interest and desire to see the sport thrive both now and in the future

“It recognises the potential growth for the sport as a whole and builds in mechanisms for all parties to benefit from that, in particular our athletes.

“The revenue sharing model will ensure our swimmers are looked after and that a stronger sport benefits everyone.

“We see this as a genuine partnership to usher in a new era for our sport as we collectively strive to maximise the green and gold runway to Victoria 2026 and Brisbane 2032.”

Swimming Australia and the ASA will meet monthly to work on initiatives to further strengthen the relationship.

ASA President Bronte Campbell agreed that the MOU marks a historic moment in the relationship between swimmers and SA which will benefit athletes today and into the future, adding “the success of swimmers and the sport lies in our ability to work closely with Swimming Australia to create a united approach to the road ahead.

“This MOU marks the first step in a growing a closer working relationship with Swimming Australia for the benefit of swimmers and the sport and I am proud of the athletes and our team at the Australian Swimmers’ Association for their hard work in helping to achieve this milestone which we hope will benefit swimmers for years to come.”

The MOU was revealed at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre with those in attendance including:

• Dr Michelle Gallen, President of Swimming Australia 
• Bronte Campbell, President of Australian Swimmers Association 
• Rohan Taylor, Head Coach of the Australian Dolphins 
• Byron Sellan, General Manager of Australian Swimmers Association 
• Tamara Shepherd, Swimming Australia High Performance Director 
• Jodie Hawkins, Swimming Australia Executive General Manager, Commercial, Marketing & Events 
• Emma McKeon, Australian Dolphins representative 
• Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australian Dolphins representative 
• Leah Neale, Australian Dolphins representative 

Image credit: Women Sport Australia/Daniel Pockett.