FOREWORD THINKING WITH MARK UNWIN, CEO
Gold Coast 2021 – an industry prepares to re-engage
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lways a highlight of the annual turf industry calendar is the Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition. Perhaps more so this year than any other, due to the forced cancellation of the 2020 event because of COVID-19, the opportunity to continue education, network with peers and reconnect has seen delegate and exhibition registrations near all-time highs. The four-day event, to be held this year at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 21-24 June, promises to be an outstanding event, with a number of keynote speakers involved to share their experiences and learnings, combined with over 100 hours of management education related to agronomy and leadership across golf, sportsfields and management streams. More information on the conference education and networking sessions, as well as information pertaining to the two-day trade exhibition, is highlighted in this edition’s Conference Guide which runs across pages 30-45. Always a highlight of the conference is the National Turf Industry Awards, where outstanding achievement in the profession is recognised on the opening night of the week. This year the ASTMA Awards programme has been expanded with the introduction of two new awards – the Excellence in Sportsfields & Grounds Management Award (presented by Toro) and the Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award (presented by Nuturf) – completing the recognition of exceptional performance and achievement by Australian sports turf managers. For those unable to make the event, a full write up on the conference will be included in the July-August 2021 edition of Australian Turfgrass Management Journal, along with a comprehensive review of all 2021 award winners. While the focus is very much on delivering an exceptional experience on the Gold Coast in the coming weeks, looking ahead many will have seen the announcement regarding a change for the 2022 conference. The ASTMA has signed a partnership with Golf Management Australia (GMA) to combine education conferences into a united event to be held next June, further strengthening the relationship between the two associations. The 2022 event will be held in Melbourne and will make it Australia’s largest golf industry event and one that is not to be missed. 4
In other ASTMA news, a significant pillar of the association’s five-year Strategic Plan was to support and prioritise initiatives that promote best practice education for environmental management and sustainability programmes. Two of the larger initiatives well underway reflecting this priority are the Golf Course 2030 programme (with input and representation from each of the state associations) and the Environment and Sustainability Program in conjunction with GEO and 25 golf clubs across Australia. With thanks to the clubs and turf managers involved for their time and input into the Golf Course 2030 programme working groups, these initiatives are well advanced and further updates will be delivered at the conference. Another focus of the Strategic Plan was to continue and expand the level of support to the state associations. We have recently worked through some significant developments in this area and in the early weeks of June announced an important partnership with Repco, offering discounted products and services to all association members. Such a partnership has at its core an approach for sustained long-term support for members and each of the state associations to assist in continued delivery of education, events and research. For more information on this partnership and benefits, visit the ASTMA website or discuss with your state association.
EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES While the above are all great news for Australian sports turf managers, the sobering fact remains of the considerable challenges faced by the industry. One of the most significant, without question, is employment. While this impacts some states more than others, many turf managers I speak to indicate that staff and labour shortages is the most pressing challenge faced at their facility. Involving both the difficulties in attracting new talent and challenges of retaining talent, this is a major issue that requires considerable
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attention, both in assisting turf managers in the short-term but also the long-term sustainability of the industry. As an example, from 2017 to 2020 the number of people working in turf management grew slightly from 18,400 to 20,300 (source: www.joboutlook.gov.au). While on the surface this may be seen as a strong story for the industry, it is underpinned by some concerning trends. Foremost among them is the reduction in the numbers of qualified staff, which have fallen from 62 per cent to 48 per cent over the same period. This indicates that the number of qualified turf managers in the industry has fallen dramatically over the past three years and facilities are straining to retain or attract qualified staff. Couple this with declining education enrolments and worryingly low completion rates, prospects for industry labour rates over the long-term are concerning. In the second half of this year, the ASTMA is undertaking an employment initiative in conjunction with all state and territory governments, in particular each of the state Departments of Sport & Recreation, Education and Employment, to help address this critically important short- and long-term issue. This is a quite detailed programme related to attracting future talent into sports turf management and the retention programmes to train and develop qualified turf managers and keep qualified and trained staff in the industry. While the initial components to the programme and facilitated meetings have been undertaken with department representatives, it is envisaged that this initiative will be a multiyear programme combining a range of shortterm programmes and continuous initiatives to drive outcomes for the years to come. Forming part of the initial stages will be determining an industry baseline and identifying areas of opportunity. As such, the ASTMA will be sending out a detailed survey to members in relation to employment issues, trends and workforce participation numbers during July. I would ask that members set aside some time to complete the survey, which will give us a highly comprehensive overview of the industry. Results will be combined for an Australia-wide perspective, while statebased insights and localised information will be used to determine and prioritise itemised approaches with each state. Please keep an eye out for the employment survey in the weeks ahead. I look forward to reconnecting with you all on the Gold Coast for the 2021 conference.