FOREWORD THINKING WITH MARK UNWIN, CEO
Passion, commitment and continually rising to the challenge
A
s I write the last Foreword Thinking update for the year, two points consistently stand out through my notes of events and updates throughout 2023. The first of these is now harsh this country can be at times. Over the course of the year, various parts of the country suffered through floods, droughts, cyclones, pest infiltrations or swings in wildly unseasonal weather. All of this makes the role that turf managers do so critical, in somehow being required to manage all of this, adjust to all of this or rebuild after all of this, and yet deliver a standard of playing surface and maintain a level of professionalism that is (or should be) gratefully acknowledged by players, administrators and spectators. Australian turf managers are indeed the envy of many other parts of the world. The second is just how resilient, how specialised and how dedicated turf managers are. In facing another year of seemingly relentless trials in one form or another, the fact that stood out the most for me (again) was the spirit and solidarity of the people we have in this industry. I would suggest that this theme is a common topic in my updates over the course of the past five or so years of being with the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA) and thinking through that I’d argue there is a clear reason for that. Throughout my working life and engaging with many industries, I’ve not been more privileged to meet and work with so many committed, hardworking and professional individuals, who genuinely care about their work, their teams and colleagues. As much as it may sound like a cliché, I count myself very lucky to be able to work in an industry where the people are so passionate and committed to what they do, despite all that is thrown at them.
2023 has also seen the industry face a growing challenge relating to staff attraction, with an increase in the volume of facilities looking to manage staff numbers, placing additional pressures on teams to manage and maintain surfaces that are, at the same time, facing an increase in demand for usage. This last item forms a significant part of the association’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2027 and will be the primary focus of activities leading into the new year. The first of our activities relating to workforce attraction and retention is the recently announced turf industry staff engagement research project to be undertaken in conjunction with Melbourne’s La Trobe University, launching in early January. This is designed to be a large undertaking to support turf managers and employers in working through ways to help engage, recognise and reward turf management staff, with a presentation to be made to turf managers and club managers at the Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Brisbane (17-20 June, 2024). The Strategic Plan noted was another milestone for the association this year, in launching our five-year approach to continue supporting members and the industry, alongside several other notable activities.
Among these are the development and launch of a National Curators Accreditation Program backed by Cricket Australia, launching of the First Green program to engage with potential new apprentices and delivery of flagship programs such as the annual conference, the Future Turf Managers’ Initiative (see page 32 for the program’s latest intake) and Women in Turf Strategy work placement opportunities to name just a few. Perhaps the largest initiative undertaken by the association in recent years was the registration as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to enable support for apprentices in Certificate III training (in SA) and the Diploma of Sports Turf Management for states and regions unable to access this level of qualification previously. With some 40-plus enrolments after the first few months of operation as an RTO, 2024 enrolments are looking to be significantly higher as classes return in early February for those looking to further their education and career. Feedback to date from students and employers alike has been very encouraging and while there are still some areas that we continue to work through, we’re looking forward to continuing to grow throughout the year ahead. In closing off this update, I would like to extend a note of thanks for the support received from each of our trade partners, all of whom continue to actively support the industry. This support and collaboration is truly valued by the association and the programs we are able to develop and deliver to the several thousand sports turf managers that we in turn support wouldn’t be possible without such assistance. Lastly, but by no means least, I would also like to thank the ASTMA Board and the diligent and hardworking team at the association, who display a continual drive and motivation each day to work as hard as each of you do, in supporting members and helping to advance the industry. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and prosperous 2024.
The launch of the ASTMA’s Registered Training Organisation division was a key highlight of 2023
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AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 25.6
