November Secrets

G'day. My focus this week is catching up on Sporting Schools progress and finalising Sport Participation Agreements for Member sign off.

Our Australian Sports Commission Sporting Schools liaison officer has changed from Mark McLatchey to Nick Lambert who is based in Perth. Nick had the opportunity to meet many coaches and present on Sporting Schools at the recent Badminton Victoria Smashing Sports coaching conference.

Upon review with Nick, here are some of the key points noted:

a) Over 4,400 schools are now registered on Sporting Schools (ASC target is 5,700 by 2017) so they are well on track. In term 4 2015, Badminton has received around 90 Sporting Schools program requests.

b) Some sports are working well with private providers, while others are still working on a solution to bring them 'into the tent'. A case study has been initiated to help NSOs and private providers understand and match the core needs of both parties. Golf currently leads all NSOs by meeting over 95% of the Sporting Schools demand. Badminton is meeting approximately 45% of the Sporting Schools demand.

c) Sporting Schools acknowledge there are still complexities around the registration and booking process. They are working on a system which hopefully alleviates these issues by Term 3 of 2016. In the meantime, remember that a Google Doc view of school demand in every State and Territory available for us in real-time. Member Associations can also contact me directly for a list of registered coaches and/or coaching providers in their regions if it is looking to grow its workforce.

d) Funding for Terms 1 & 2 for next year is now open. Demand information will hopefully be made available to us in December to allow us to get on top of bookings before the school holidays!

I look forward to catching up with many of you in Melbourne at the Badminton Australia AGM this weekend.

Upcoming participation programs and events: 'Takeaway' badminton Secrets of successful clubs

In other news: Sudirman Cup planning School sport feature BWF now IPC Member