COVID-19 HAS DEVASTATED AUSSIE SPORTS COMMUNITY SPORTS CLUBS ACROSS AUSTRALIA ARE CLOSED. MANY WILL FIND IT HARD TO SURVIVE WORDS AUSTRALIAN SPORTS FOUNDATION
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he financial impact of Covid-19 is devastating Australian sport — particularly community and club sports that rely on membership fees and local sponsorships to keep the lights on. The role of the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) is to raise money for sport and it is launching a national campaign to help community clubs and organisations access funds to recover. To do this it needs help from the public. ASF has created a survey to understand the impact on local clubs and the funding needed to help them recover. Currently, over 500 clubs have completed the survey, but there are tens of thousands more out there who haven’t been heard from and who may miss out on the funding and support that ASF is trying to generate. To those involved in community sport across Australia, ASF want to know who you are, hear your story, and go to bat for community sport. Club sport is in crisis. In May and June, ASF carried out a survey to assess the impact of Covid-19 on community sport. It is estimated that over 16,000 local sports clubs are at risk of closure due to
financial losses and new costs associated with the global pandemic. The Coronovirus contagion has created a crisis that threatens the existence of thousands of community sport clubs across Australia, and the communities of members, volunteers, coaches and families that are involved with them. The survey reveals that community sport’s shutdown has damaged the physical and mental health of millions of Australians. Key findings include: • Of all clubs surveyed, 93 percent have lost money since the onset of COVID-19, caused by a steep decline in revenues and the need to pay ongoing costs. • Up to 80 percent of clubs forecast ongoing reductions in core revenue streams, such as memberships, local sponsorships and community fundraising, while 97 percent of all clubs surveyed face additional Covid-19 related costs. • These new financial realities threaten the sustainability of community sports clubs. Around one in four respondents cited organisational solvency as
20 AUSTRALASIAN PARKS AND LEISURE | Summer 2020
a major concern — meaning over 16,000 community sports clubs are at risk of closure if financial support is not provided. • Covid-19 has also significantly impacted Australia’s 3 million sporting volunteers, with up to 43 percent of sports clubs projecting a decline in volunteering, contributing further to fears about the sustainability of many local community clubs. • In aggregate, the support needed is in the region of $1.2B across Australia’s 70,000 community sports clubs. Without financial support, thousands of community sports clubs risk closure. This would have a devastating impact on physical and mental health for millions of Australia’s sports participants and volunteers. The full report covers the financial impacts on small and large community clubs, club concerns, and issues clubs face when resuming activities. To find out more visit covid.sportsfoundation. org.au or access it through Parks & Leisure Australia’s PaRC library at parksleisure.com.au/library
