Sport needs to be less reliant on Government funding

Australia's national sporting organisations (NSOs) need to be less reliant on Government funding according to Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Chief Executive Matt Miller.

Speaking at this week's Sports Business World conference in Sydney, Miller stated that "sport needs to be less reliant on Government funding", a statement in line with Minister for Sport, Kate Ellis' address at the conference on the previous day.

Miller (pictured) suggested that the ASC was looking to revisit the market orientated approach to the development of the sports industry as outlined in the 1999 strategy End Goal: Moving the Sport and Recreation Industry to a Higher Growth Path.

The driving force for this was, according to Miller, a concern that "sport is at risk of being less relevant (and that it) is in danger of losing its relevance to younger generations."

Foreseeing that the ASC would be looking for sports to "shift from governance issues to a focus on the market", Miller also voiced concerns that "many sports, with lower membership bases, were at risk of being unsustainable."

For more information go to fulltext.ausport.gov.au/fulltext/1999/feddep/eg2006.pdf