Sport NSW calls on political parties to increase core funding

With the help of some of the state’s biggest sporting stars, Sport NSW has launched a new report calling on all sides of politics to provide more funding for sporting organisations.

Released ahead of the state election in March, the peak advocacy body representing sport in NSW has highlighted that despite significant and welcome NSW Government investment in elite sporting facilities in recent years, the state is falling behind in supporting its grassroots participants, administrators and volunteers.

Revealing that state sporting organisations (SSOs) have not received an increase to their core funding since 2000, the Playing Catch Up - 2023 Election Platform report, comprising input from more than 40 different sports, found organisation support payments to sports in NSW - often referred to as ‘core funding’ - are in some cases eight times less than similar payments made to the same sport in other states.

Sport NSW is asking for about $8 million to remedy this.

In a statement accompanying the release of the report, Sport NSW advised “the meagre payments to NSW sports have not changed since the year 2000 - despite the pressures placed on community organisers drastically increasing.

“The upshot of all this, is that NSW sports are way behind the other states, with less capacity to run competitions, attract talent in pathways programs and keep up with stringent safety and governance requirements.”

Additionally, the report highlights a sports facilities crisis, with sports failing to find enough space to run their competitions, adding “as a result, kids and families who want to participate in sport in NSW are often travelling vast distances to play or are even being turned away completely.”

Backing the push for more funding and facilities for community and grassroots sports in NSW are dual Olympic medallist, flag-bearer and World Champion basketballer Lauren Jackson; former Australian cricketer and now Chief Executive of Softball NSW Stuart Clark;, former Australian cricketer Alex Blackwell; Winter Olympic ice-skater and Beijing flag-bearer Brendan Kerry,; co-captain of the NSW Swifts Maddy Proud; former Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist Kerri Pottharst; Macarthur FC defender Isaac Hovar and former wheelchair tennis player Stephan Rochecouste.

Sport NSW Chair, Chris Hall said the Playing Catch Up report reveals NSW is a laggard compared to other states, when it comes to supporting community sport, stating “we are calling on all sides of politics to play catch up in funding community sport in NSW.

“While there have been some great programs over recent years, core funding for community sport is way behind other states.

“This means that the least funded sports, some of which are Olympic sports, are receiving just $5,000 a year to administer their organisations, run their competitions and comply with important but increasingly onerous governance requirements including matters of integrity, child protection and data compliance.

“Community sport is not for profit. You simply can’t expect sports to have an ever-increasing burden of responsibility and be the glue that keeps our community together, while providing them funding that has stayed the same for 22 years.”

The Playing Catch Up report was compiled after six months of consultation with Sport NSW members which include 80 SSOs.

It calls for an $8 million uplift in ‘core funding’ for sports, and also recommends continuing and expanding the successful Active Kids vouchers by also making them available for adults and pre-schoolers.

The Playing Catch Up report also reveals the need for the transparent reporting of government data that would reveal where sports facilities are most needed, as well as the establishment of a new sports infrastructure unit to spearhead the facilities push.

Click here to view the report.