News

The Australian Coaching Council Covid Safe Certification program has recently passed 60,000 enrollments. It  is the most successful Online
Education program ever released in Australia.  Walt Missingham, Chair ACC, today noted: “As we enter our second year in dealing with the Covid Crisis
relevant and accessible information on how to teach safely in the current environment is vital, our course is providing an essential service to
the broader sports coaching community – well done to all involved!”

In 2017 the ASC (now Sport Australia) stepped away from supporting coaching and officiating by ‘retiring’ the national accreditation schemes for coaching (NCAS) and officiating (NOAS) and by removing itself from development and delivery. The ASC advised NSOs that they would be solely responsible for their coaching and officiating development needs from that point on.

In response to extensive requests from NSOs the Australian Coaching Council was reformed shortly thereafter with one of its expressed aims being to provide national leadership and support to NSOs in coaching and officiating development. Working collaboratively with over 50 NSOs over the past 3 years led to the development of the ACC National Strategic Framework Coaching in the 2020s which is serving as a guiding document.

Recently Sport Australia advertised for the new position of Director, Coaching and Officiating .

The ACC takes some comfort that the job description of the new Director, Coaching and Officiating draws heavily from the Charter of the Australian Coaching Council and that Sport Australia now appears to be recognising and prioritising the development of coaching and officiating.

We extend our thanks to the many National Sporting Organisations and coaches who have contacted the ACC office to acknowledge our vital role in getting Sport Australia to change its position on coaching and officiating.

The ACC is supportive of the new position taken by Sport Australia in recognising the importance of coaching and officiating. As we have already been operating in these areas in conjunction with NSOs we have offered our assistance, knowledge and significant expertise by way of a partnership or ‘cooperative arrangement’ with Sport Australia to contribute to better collective outcomes for coaching and officiating.

Any feedback or comment will be gratefully received.

Walt Missingham
Chair – Australian Coaching Council Steering Committee

By Lawrie Woodman

“The number of women athletes at the Olympic Games is approaching 50 per cent. Over the last five Olympic Games (Summer and Winter) the number of female accredited coaches has hovered around 9-11%.”

Summary

• There has been massive growth in girls’ and women’s participation in sport – this has not been matched by proportionate growth in women coaches.
• Title IX paradox. While the introduction of Title IX in the USA resulted in much greater funding for women’s sport at college level, more experienced male coaches have benefitted the most from the newly created full-time coaching positions in women’s teams. Before Title IX, over 90% of coaches in women’s intercollegiate sports were women – now only around 42% are women. Similar patterns are emerging in Australia.
• Barriers. The barriers and challenges for women in coaching are well known – many reflect the general barriers faced by women in any area of endeavour, and some are barriers facing anyone engaging in coaching. Some issues are relevant to female coaches only and some to individual coaches and their specific circumstances.
• Creating opportunities. Sporting organisations and individual coaches must take purposeful action to improve the balance and diversity of coaching and enhance sport around the world. There are some clear actions that can be taken to improve the environment and create opportunities for growth in women in coaching at all levels.

Read the full article here: Australian Sport Reflections

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Sport Australia welcome the release by National Cabinet of the National Principles for the Resumption of Sport and Recreation Activities, which provides the pathway for a safe return to sport.

The AIS played a central role in the development of these Principles and they align with the launch of The AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment.

The AIS team, led by Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Hughes, developed this Framework in collaboration with sport CMOs around Australia and in consultation with the Federal Government’s CMOs. The Framework underpins the Principles, and has been adopted by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and National Cabinet as the guide for the reintroduction of sport and recreation in Australia following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AIS and Sport Australia will continue to work with the National Institute Network and National Sporting Organisations in implementing a safe return to training and competition activities. All sport and recreation resumption decisions should be based on State and Territory COVID-19 public health advice.

Click on the following link to open the AIS Guidelines Summary https://ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/730374/35845_AIS-Framework-for-Rebooting-Sport-Summary.pdf

A club that was on the brink of folding six years ago has taken out the top gong in the 2020 Sportscover Clubbies Awards!

The Sports Riders Club of Tasmania earned a place in Clubbies history as the first entrant from the island state to nab the BEST CLUB title. The extraordinary turnaround was achieved by a just a handful of dedicated volunteers.

Full details: www.clubbies.com.au

The nationwide search for the most inspiring stories from sport’s grassroots attracted more than 1100 nominations.  Over 30 sports were represented by the 80 finalists, with dragon boating, swimming, football, motorcycling, rugby league, golf and surfing among the trophies. Five states contributed to the winners list but it was NSW which walked away with the biggest haul, taking four of the eight awards on offer. Up for grabs, a total prize pool worth more than $10,000! The outcome was decided by an expert panel and thousands of online votes.

About Clubbies

Clubbies is recognised as Australia’s largest awards program of its type. The Inside Sport awards are co-presented by the Confederation of Australian Sport (CAS) and awards partners Sportscover.

CAS CEO, Rob Bradley, said:  “The Confederation of Australian Sport has been delighted with the massive number of entries in the Sportscover Clubbies Awards this year and would like to congratulate the very deserving winners of our eight categories! Grassroots sport is at the heart of Australian life and there were so many genuinely inspiring stories again this year.

Sportscover Australia Chief Executive Simon Allatson reflected on the difficult start to 2020: “Sport at club level throughout Australia has been buffeted by unprecedented catastrophes in the 12 months since the last awards. The impacts of drought, bushfires and COVID-19 have tested the resolve of all. The attributes of the nominees and winners is magnified by the fact they have continued to serve the community despite these obstacles.”

Award partners Bauerfeind added: ‘As global leaders in compression and performance products, Bauerfeind are proud to support the clubbies awards because we want everyone to achieve their personal best. From being the official product partner of choice to the Olympic Games, NRL teams and the NBA, through to supporting local clubs around the globe, our goal is to help everyone and anyone perform like never before.”

Congratulations to all our Winners!

BEST CLUB: Sports Riders Club of Tasmania

BEST COACH: Gail Smail, Stanthorpe Amateur Swimming and Life Saving Club (QLD)

BEST STALWART: Peter Spackman, Bilambil Jets Rugby League Club (NSW)

BEST SPORTS ASSOCIATION:  Disabled Surfers Association – Central Coast Branch (NSW)

BEST MASTERS PERFORMANCE: Beth Trevenen, Albany Dragon Boat Club (WA)

BEST ADMINISTRATOR: Sam Stanley, Revesby Workers Football Club (NSW)

BEST FACILITY: Colac Golf Club (VIC)

BEST USE OF MEDIA: Peter Hennessy, Dunbar Rovers FC NPL (NSW)

3 March 2020 – National Seniors Australia, the peak consumer organisation for older Australians has today released a comprehensive study into seniors and physical activity, revealing the biggest barriers to exercise.

The national survey received almost 4,000 responses and showed that two thirds of respondents wanted to be more physically active but listed various barriers preventing them.

The biggest barrier to physical activity was a lack of motivation (32%), followed by health issues (27%) and mobility (21%).

However, respondents also gave examples of how they overcome some of these hurdles by:

Exercising with a friend or group
Participating in a team sport
Owning a dog which requires regular exercise
National Seniors CEO and Chief Researcher, Professor John McCallum says the survey shows how important seniors regard physical activity in maintaining their physical and mental health.

“Older Australians are becoming increasingly active. This is so important for a healthy later life,” Professor McCallum said.

“Those who feel they aren’t being active enough can name the barriers and express a desire to overcome them.”

Some respondents offered comments in their survey as to why they want to do more exercise:

“I think of exercise as investing in myself….,” said one respondent.

And this from another, “I force myself to exercise because it’s good for me! Use it or lose it.”

The report has been launched today at Parliament House by the Minister for Ageing and Sport, the Honourable Senator Richard Colbeck.

Professor John McCallum is available for comment, call Craig Sullivan on 0488 047 380.

The Confederation of Australian Sport was a supporting partner in this research and National Seniors Australia were Active Ageing Partner of the 17th Australian Masters Games held in Adelaide in October 2019.

To view the full report click here: https://nationalseniors.com.au/uploads/JustDoingIt-RsrchRpt.pdf