We are focused on getting more Australians, on more podiums, more often.

Australia’s Winning Edge, with its clear definition of success, defines the role of the AIS and our key partners in  the Australian high performance system and provides a national strategy outlining international performance targets for Australia. Our aspiration is for Australia to achieve a top 5 finish at the summer Olympic and  Paralympic  Games, top  15 at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and more than 20 world champions annually. To enable this, the AIS provides targeted investment to those sports that demonstrate the greatest chances of short, medium and long-term international success. The AIS also administers the dAIS scheme that provides financial support to Australia’s emerging and top performing  athletes and grants to encourage innovation in high performance through the NSO Competitive Innovation Fund.

The ASC also assists sports in the area of governance, commercialisation, research, coaching and leadership, and talent identification. These initiatives aim to ensure that the high performance sector is positioned to achieve sustainable success. The long-term sustainability of the AIS is a key priority and in 2016–17 the ASC finalised the AIS Future Directions project which will be used to inform the role and operating model of the AIS, its services and facilities in the national high performance network.

The Win pillar is the cornerstone in the delivery of PBS Program Objective A, delivering international sporting success. Program Objective A outlines how the AIS will contribute to the ASC PBS Outcome 1.

Our approach

In 2016–17 the AIS continued to support the NSO high performance programs and their athletes under Australia’s Winning Edge as they undertook the final preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics.

The AIS continued to lead improved alignment between the AIS and all system partners, particularly state and territory institutes and academies of sport, and lead the discussion around practical, alternative, high performance institute operating models that suit the Australian sporting environment.

Key activity areas included:

• providing targeted investment to NSOs and athletes to enable them to develop high performance programs that achieve international success
• providing support and advice to assist sports with high performance strategy, planning and program delivery
• development and delivery of customised athlete, coach and leader talent initiatives to optimise high performance outcomes
• planning, coordination and delivery of sports science and sports medicine expertise to ensure Australia’s athletes get the right support at the right time
• supporting innovative solutions for prioritised sports and promoting the growth of new knowledge and expertise for high performance sport
• facilitating a more aligned and streamlined performance network that supports Australia’s Winning Edge identified athletes and teams across jurisdictions.

Our Results

Australia finished tenth on the medal tally at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with 29 medals (8 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze). While this fell short of the Australia’s Winning Edge target of a top-five position there were promising signs for the future with 136 athletes aged 20-24 finishing in the top eight of their event. Athletes in this age bracket accounted for half of all the Australian athletes that recorded top eight results. The Australian Paralympic team was fifth on the medal tally at the Rio Paralympic Games and strong performances resulted in 81 medals: 22 gold, 30 silver and 29 bronze. The AIS provided support throughout both the Olympic and Paralympic Games with high performance staff seconded to the Australian Olympic Committee and Australian Paralympic Committee teams.

The AIS has delivered a number of key initiatives under the Win pillar in 2016–17, including provision of funding to 41 NSOs, with more than $103 million in high performance funding distributed. A total of 75 per cent of Australia’s Winning Edge funded sports achieved their targets in benchmark events³ during 2016–17. This is below the target of 80 per cent, however represents an increase from the 73 per cent reported in 2015–16. Under Australia’s Winning Edge measurement criteria,⁴ there were 26 able bodied world champions in 2016–17, including 10 athletes or teams crowned world champion between July 2016 and June 2017 and a further 16 athletes who reign as world champions from 2015–16 because their sport has not held a benchmark event. For Paralympic sports, there were five new world champion athletes or teams and 19 athletes or teams who hold the world championship title for a total of 24 world champions.

Under the dAIS program, 983 athletes from 33 sports were identified as meeting the performance criteria. A small number of athletes were either ineligible to receive grants due to means testing or elected not to accept dAIS offers for other reasons, resulting in 936 athletes receiving the $13.12 million allocated through grants in 2016–17. Commonwealth Games Australia’s contribution to dAIS in 2016–17 enabled additional support to athletes. This included an additional 90 emerging athletes who otherwise would not have achieved dAIS funding.

As of June 2016, more than 2,500 athletes are being tracked through the Athlete Management System and 861 athletes are registered on myAISplaybook, an online resource developed as part of the Personal Excellence Program providing support and guidance for elite athletes. Since the launch in 2014–15 a total of 3,227 athletes have enrolled in myAISplaybook.

The AIS works with sector partners to evolve and refine the national high performance system under Australia’s Winning Edge. The NIN review was completed with actionable recommendations agreed to and the AIS Future Directions project considered the AIS’ role in the network. This project work, which included assessing the future role and responsibilities of the AIS both as a national sports agency as well as a provider of high performance daily training and research and medical facilities, is being incorporated into the ASC strategic planning process.

The Centre for Performance Coaching and Leadership (CPCL) offered a range of customised solutions for coach and leader talent across 2016–17. This included the three core programs (Performance Coach, Podium Coach and Performance Leaders) which continue to be oversubscribed. CPCL have also focused on delivering sport specific coaching, leadership and coaching science programs in 15 sports which have included profiling, HP strategy development, competition readiness and coach transition support. Systemic offerings have included WC2WB Conference, Rio prebrief and debrief and Rio Benchmark Event Survey.

Mental Health in Sport workshops conducted in 2016–17 were evidence-based and facilitated initiatives designed to educate and up-skill those who work in high performance sport on aspects of promotion, prevention and early intervention of mental health issues. The workshop demonstrated the relevance of mental health to performance in a sporting context and equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond to the management of mental health. There has been strong demand for these workshops with 273 people across four states and nine NSOs engaged through the eight workshops.

The AIS remains a leader in promoting gender equality and in 2016–17 designed a new Women in Sport Leadership Program ‘Stepping In’. The program was launched on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2017, by Minister Hunt and the Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash. The program aims to provide intensive targeted leadership development opportunities for identified future women leaders in sport. The program is being delivered by Melbourne Business School over one year through a series of face-to-face residential labs, immersive experiences, executive coaching, individual assessment and regular feedback and reflection sessions. In its first year the program is supporting 18 women with placements determined through a competitive selection process.

Investment in the next generation continues with the Local Sport Champions program funding 5,699 emerging sportswomen and sportsmen with a total of $2.85m in 2016–17. The program provides $500 grants for athletes, coaches, umpires or referees aged 12–18 years old to attend an official NSO or School Sport Australia endorsed state, national or international sporting. The funding assists in covering the cost of travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment and helps reduce monetary barriers for families with children participating in elite sport

We want more Australians, particularly young Australians, participating in sport more often.

Play.Sport.Australia., our participation game plan, sets out how the ASC can best support national participation outcomes. Our ambitions for sport are simple; at the national level we want to see more Australians participating in sport and at the individual sport level we want to see sports in which the ASC invests achieving year on year membership and participation growth.

To achieve this, the ASC will develop and share research and data including intelligence from the AusPlay national participation survey to better understand what is happening in sport, support the network that supplies sport — our sporting organisations — and help drive demand for lifelong participation in sport and physical activity through delivery of the Sporting Schools program.

Through Play.Sport.Australia., the ASC invests in NSOs through a Participation Investment Categorisation Framework and the provision of strategy and project support. Our objective is to achieve sustained participation growth across the sector and for Sporting Schools to be a core feature of Australian junior sport, helping to develop a love of sport in the next generation. In delivering these objectives, the ASC aims to work effectively with sport sector partners to develop and share industry knowledge and evidence to help address participation challenges.

The Play pillar outlines the primary strategies that will deliver the PBS Program Objective B of more Australians, particularly young Australians, participating in sport more often.

Our approach

preparations for expansion of the program to include students in years seven and eight of secondary school in 2017–18.

The ASC invests in NSOs to achieve participation outcomes aligned to Play.Sport.Australia. This investment is determined by using Participation Investment Categorisation Framework which provides for a fixed funding amount per category. This framework provides a simpler, more consistent and transparent approach for sports to participation funding.

Key activity areas include:

• providing targeted investment to NSOs to help them grow their participation base
• providing services and support that assist NSOs with participation strategies, planning and operations
• developing and disseminating high-quality information, research and data to better understand what is happening in sport
• driving demand for lifelong participation in sport by focusing on younger Australians through the Sporting Schools program.

Our success is measured in the uptake of Sporting Schools and trends in sport participation data, including NSO membership growth of NSOs, and how effectively the ASC is assisting the sector through targeted investment and support

Our results

1. Source: ASC Corporate Plan 2016–20, page 24
2. Source: Portfolio Budget Statements 2016–17, program objective B

The ASC delivered a number of key initiatives under the Play pillar in 2016–17, led by another strong year for the Sporting Schools program where it exceeded the planned performance target, with funding provided to 5,807 schools, a 32.1 per cent increase on 2015–16 and more than 1.38 million program attendees, a 7.2 per cent increase on 2015–16. The program continues to grow rapidly, demonstrating a successful partnership between the ASC, schools and NSOs to deliver quality sporting programs, including access to coaches, resources and funding. Sporting Schools has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from all user groups, including school principals, teachers and coaches. A total of 89 per cent or more in each user group strongly endorse Sporting Schools and have indicated high levels of ongoing commitment to the program.

Following the success of the primary school program, Sporting Schools will roll out a targeted program for secondary school students in years seven and eight during term three 2017. In order to help sports develop their approach for secondary schools, the ASC undertook the Youth Participation Project with 80 secondary schools in 2016 to determine the most successful strategies for engaging the youth sector through sport.

The Youth Participation Project sought to identify and address the barriers to sports participation amongst youth (aged 13–17) in the secondary school environment. La Trobe University were engaged by the ASC to conduct research and capture findings from a teacher, student, parent and NSO perspective. The research revealed a number of significant findings, relevant to the education and sports sectors; these included:

• what a deliverer says and how they say it has a significant influence on student engagement and participation
• for parents/guardians, sport becomes more stressful due to increased and ongoing costs
• many parents/guardians value academic performance or other extra-curricular activities above sport
• for teaching staff, sport is more stressful in a secondary school environment (compared to primary school)
• for principals, academic performance is the priority
• for funding bodies and NSOs/deliverers, delivering sport in a secondary school environment is an administrative challenge.

AusPlay, first launched in November 2015, provides participation data for the government and the sport sector to help better understand the participation landscape and identify strategies to grow participation. The first update was released In April 2017 and the reporting showed an increase in organised sport participation. There was overlap with the initial reporting period and subsequent reports will show valuable trend data. The ASC has committed to updating AusPlay data every six months with the next release scheduled for October 2017.

Supplementing the AusPlay data, the ASC continues to use the ASPR to track NSO participation across a range of measures. This includes membership with sporting organisations, or active participation, and broader exposure to sports through events, school sport or program-level activities. In 2016, nine sports updated their methodology for calculating participation rates which will provide greater accuracy for future datasets. Whilst the data collection is an improved process it will not present a valid comparison to 2015 figures and for this reason those nine sports have been excluded from the overall NSO participation growth figures. Of the 26 sports considered, 21 NSOs recorded an increase in participation rates for 2016.

The Participation Investment Categorisation Framework was fully implemented in 2016–17 to prioritise funding to those NSOs who are best placed to deliver participation outcomes. The level of investment for each category remained consistent with the 2015–16 funding. A new category was established for sports with revenue greater than $250 million which resulted in four sports receiving a reduction in funding for 2016–17. Eight sports achieved participation growth to an extent where they advanced to a higher category and subsequently, an increase in funding. In all, 60 NSOs received participation funding in 2016–17. Future categorisation of sports will be informed by ASPR and the AusPlay survey.

The Drivers of Sports Participation (Drivers, equivalent to the AIS performance drivers) is a framework developed by the ASC to support industry stakeholders in the delivery of stronger participation outcomes. The ASC engaged Nielsen Sports in 2016 to undertake a comprehensive consultation process which included 13 workshops. These involved the sports sector and external business leaders to test and validate the key strategic areas of a business which drive growth in sports participation, and develop the Drivers. The Drivers will be released publicly in 2017–18 and provide a shared language around the pillars of participation. Additional resources and toolkits are being developed to support the implementation of the Drivers in 2017–18.

A critical enabling factor behind increased participation is the quality and availability of sufficient and appropriate sporting infrastructure. In 2017 the ASC commenced two projects aimed at; (1) better understanding the important contribution community sport infrastructure makes to the Australian economy, community strengthening and the nation’s health, and (2) supporting organisations to be more competitive in attracting investment into community sport infrastructure projects.

The ASC partnered in launch of the Let Kids be Kids campaign in February 2017. The campaign addresses the issue of poor sideline behaviour at junior sport — and received significant media coverage across the country with special features on ABC, the Seven Network and SBS. Videos featuring children discussing poor sideline behaviour and how it negatively affects their sporting experience were produced. Current elite sportspeople were also featured in videos recalling how they experienced the same issues as juniors and how that behaviour does not belong in sport. The videos were distributed through social media and the campaign has been viewed over 500,000 times on Facebook whist the online resources have been downloaded more than 38,000 times from the website.

We want more sports to have the capability, workforce and leadership capacity to develop and run successful sport programs.

In order to achieve Australia’s Winning Edge targets and participation outcomes under Play.Sport.Australia., we need sports to be effective organisations. To enable this, the ASC is focused on supporting

the network that supplies sport through improving governance, leadership and business systems of NSOs. This includes the implementation of the Mandatory Sports Governance Principles (MSGP) and the provision of support for coaching and officiating, product development and workforce capability.

Our objective is for sports to be strategic, well-governed and financially sound, including less reliance on government funding. We aim for NSOs to have the right people, structure and systems in place to achieve high performance and participation outcomes and deliver the sport opportunities that Australians want.

By providing leadership to build capability and sustainability across the sector, the Thrive pillar is a key component of the ASC’s delivery of PBS Program Objective C, improving the sustainability of sports. PBS Program Objective C contributes to the ASC’s PBS Outcome 1.

Our approach

In 2016–17 the ASC has continued to focus on the delivery of commercialisation and capability projects and the implementation of the Mandatory Sports Governance Principles, working with NSOs and state and territory departments of sport and recreation to support and monitor progress. In addition, the ASC has progressed work to enable long term monitoring of the organisational capability of NSOs through the development of Sport.Scan, an organisational development tool.

Key activity areas include:

• continuing to help sporting bodies improve their governance and drive alignment through national, state and territory levels
• delivering sector initiatives to optimise coach, official and leader talent and support sports to develop workforce strategies
• assisting sports to develop relevant products and identify commercial opportunities to improve their financial sustainability
• helping sports develop their digital capability to ensure they are connecting with their customers effectively and utilising technology to support growth and innovation
• evolving the Play by the Rules resources to help deliver safe, fair and inclusive sporting environments.

Our success is measured by how well sports are meeting the MSGP and the long-term improvement in the organisational capability and financial sustainability of NSOs, including increasing diverse commercial revenue streams.

Our results

1. Source: ASC Corporate Plan 2016–20, page 28
2. Source: Portfolio Budget Statements 2016–17, program objective C

During 2016–17 the ASC launched Sport.Scan, an organisational development tool. Sport.Scan is a resource which is designed to measure and track improvements in the organisational capability of NSOs. Sport.Scan assessments were included as part of the 2016 ASPR process with 23 NSOs completing the initial assessment. This assessment will be repeated annually, allowing the ASC to measure the impact of its capability work through Sport.Scan.

In 2016–17 the ASC continued to support best practice governance across the sector and increased the number of sports required to demonstrate compliance against the MSGP to 23. Of the 23 NSOs that were assessed against the MSGP, 87 per cent demonstrated satisfactory progress towards compliance. In 2016 the Sports Governance and Business Capability (SGBC)

branch used feedback from NSOs to simplify and streamline the assessment process. The review of the process resulted in a more tailored assessment and an overall reduction of red tape on the NSOs.

The inaugural Commercially Sustainable Sport Forum was hosted in December 2016. NSO CEOs and Commercial Managers from 35 NSOs attended the forum at the MCG. The forum provided sports with the tools, resources and networks to generate sustainable commercial revenue.

Attendees were also provided with a copy of Generating Commercial Revenue — the sustainable approach on the day, which was then made available to all sports via the Commercially Sustainable Sport Hub in the Clearinghouse. The hub was created as a central space for NSOs to access all relevant commercial information and includes content open to all NSOs and some locked down specific to each sport.

The ASC continued to reform community coaching and officiating in the sector. New guidelines and resources were released to provide NSO personnel with tools to develop contemporary coaching/officiating frameworks and training programs. This was supported by a series of workshops attended by 30 NSOs to assist in finalising their new frameworks.

On the back of research showing a need for guided experiential learning as an integral part of all coach/official training, the ASC collaborated with cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, netball, rugby league and the Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) on Coach Developer pilots. On a small scale, these pilots proved the concepts, showing improved coach quality, player enjoyment, parental support and pointed to increased coach retention. Cricket and football have already expanded the pilots, while gymnastics and netball have incorporated new techniques into their coaching frameworks. The ASC is assisting hockey, the NRL and the GCCC with future plans.

The Community Coaching General Principles online course reached 150,000 enrolments, while the companion Community Officiating General Principles online course was updated, with a launch intended for mid-August 2017.

The Sports Governance and Business Capability team continued to work on strategic projects with NSOs to build their business capability. A major project was undertaken with Hockey Australia (HA) to redesign its current National League (Australian Hockey League) to adopt a format and brand which puts the fans first and creates growth opportunities for commercial investors, event organisers and greater exposure for the sport of hockey in Australia. A project team, led by the SGBC team, in partnership with HA, worked together utilising a user-centred design approach combined with quantitative market research and financial modelling to deliver a business model for a new product and approach that is commercially viable and sustainable. The final product will use exciting game modifications, new team brands, fan experiences and targeted marketing to deliver hockey in a new way.

The ASC continues to ensure that sport is a safe environment for all those involved, particularly those most vulnerable including children. In late 2016 the ASC worked with the Australian Childhood Foundation to conduct organisational readiness assessments with 43 participating NSOs to establish baseline information about their current child protection policies, procedures, and their operational capacity to protect children from abuse and exploitation. Each participating NSO was provided with a personalised report identifying strengths, challenges and risks for the NSO and recommendations. The data from these individual reports was then collated to inform a sport sector National Benchmarking Report which included a series of recommendations and actions for the strategy’s implementation in 2017–18 and beyond.

Our focus is on being a high performing organisation that is recognised for achieving our  corporate objectives through strong leadership and culture, and attracting and retaining top talent.

The key goal for the Perform pillar is ensuring that the ASC has the resources, facilities and capability to drive progress across Win, Play and Thrive to deliver the best outcomes for Australian sport.

The ASC is a unique organisation with a broad reach of activities and operations and diverse workforce who are passionate about working together to benefit Australian sport. We support Play.Sport.Australia. through five regional offices across Australia, while the high performance program in support of Australia’s Winning Edge is delivered at the AIS Campus in Bruce, a smaller facility in Pizzey Park on the Gold Coast and the AIS European Training Centre in Italy. Optimising the use of these facilities, including commercial activities, is important in ensuring that the ASC is well positioned for the future.

The ASC has an important role to play in promoting the sport sector and the value that sport participation and high performance activities deliver. Central to this are the delivery of key events and conferences, including the ASPAs, ASC Media Awards and regular communications across the sport sector and the broader public on the priorities, developments and achievements in Australian sport.

The Perform Pillar forms an integral role in supporting and strengthening ASC staff, resources and facilities to assist in delivering PBS Program Objectives A, B and C which form PBS Outcome 1.

Our approach

In 2016–17 there has been a focus on supporting the business to achieve deliverables under  the Win, Play and Thrive pillars and the continued development of systems and support for   ASC programs and people. A number of projects have been undertaken to assist and inform   the review into the ASC’s strategic priorities and the role that the ASC organisational structure and assets will play in the future of the ASC. The implementation of targeted communication strategies across both participation and high performance has been a key priority this  reporting period.

Key activity areas were:

• communication of priorities, goals and successes of the ASC and Australian sport
• effective management of resources
• implementation of revenue generation opportunities that deliver the greatest value
• a focus on strategic priorities and operational effectiveness.

Success is gauged by our media profile and our stakeholders’ satisfaction with the ASC’s performance as a leader in the sport sector, the results of our employee census surveys, and how effectively we deliver on our strategies.

Our Results

1. Source: ASC Corporate Plan 2016–20, page 44

The ASC has continued to strategically promote the value of sport to local and global media.

The 2016–17 year included the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. The ASC generated proactive media in the lead-up to the Games, including information and media factsheets detailing the funding and support provided to sports during the four-year Olympic and Paralympic cycle.

A press conference after the Olympic and Paralympic Games attracted extensive national coverage as the ASC recommitted to the principles of its high performance strategy.

The AIS Sport Performance Awards celebrated the outstanding achievements of Australia’s leading athletes, teams, coaches and administrators. The ABC continued as media partner for the event and broadcast the awards live on ABC radio. ABC Grandstand hosted and promoted the public voting site for the ASPAs, which attracted almost 21,000 votes — a rise of 18 per cent on the previous event.

Other key events and issues that received strong media coverage included: the launch of AusPlay, the ASC’s comprehensive national survey to assess the sport and physical activity trends of Australians; the appointment of the ASC new CEO, Ms Kate Palmer, in December; the launch of the National Sport Plan consultation period by Minister Hunt, at the AIS in May.

The ASC continues to use social media effectively to promote participation and high performance initiatives, celebrate Australian sporting success and engage with the Australian public. The ASC maintained ASC and AIS accounts whilst diversifying communication through the use of accounts for Sporting Schools, Play.Sport.Australia. and Experience AIS, the account for the commercial operations at the AIS campus in Bruce.

The ASC has grown its commercial revenue in 2016–17 including an increase in value-in-kind sponsorship revenue and gains in revenue from commercial activities across the site. ASC staff continued working towards the goal of introducing a national sports lottery aimed at providing the ASC with an additional, substantial source of non-government revenue. A number of key sponsors committed to new agreements with the ASC. In July 2016 the ASC expanded its relationship with apparel sponsor, 2XU, to include co-branded sporting wear for commercial sale and provision of staff uniforms across the commission enhancing the corporate identity of the ASC. The growth of non-government revenue sources will remain a focus for the ASC in 2017–18.

A number of key initiatives were implemented during 2016–17 to maintain a positive working environment for ASC staff. The Flexible Workplace Agreement (FWA) program, trialled initially in the Corporate Operations Division, was expanded organisation-wide with 105 staff using a FWA during 2016–17. February 2017 saw the launch of the Sponsorship of Talent program which aims to develop and foster a network of sponsor relationships between ASC leaders and high-potential employees to advance females in the ASC and the sport sector. The program intake included 14 female ASC level six staff members and futures programs may be expanded following feedback from the initial program.

The ASC had a high response to the Australian Public Service Employee Census with 87 per cent of full time staff completing the survey, a 14 per cent increase on the corresponding survey in 2015. The survey provided positive feedback on the staff’s attitudes regarding working at the ASC with 89 per cent indicating that they are proud to work at the ASC and 83 per cent would recommend the ASC as a good place to work. The Learning and Development (+9.1 per cent) and Performance (+24.8 per cent) survey indicators achieved strong results whilst the internal communication feedback continues to improve.

Minister Hunt, launched The National Sport Plan on 22 May 2017. Through a consultative process involving all Australians, the National Sport Plan seeks to understand Australia’s expectations of the sports sector, including our shared goals for high performance sport; sporting participation; cultural and public health outcomes and our willingness to pay for these services, opportunity and success. Lead by the National Sport Plan, the ASC began work in the second half of 2016–17 to review the Australian sporting environment and how the ASC can be best placed to operate as the sector leader into the future. This work will draw on a number of sources and recent bodies work to shape the strategic direction of the ASC including:

• National Sport Plan
• AIS Future Directions
• ASC Future Game Plan
• National Institute Network Review
• Australia’s Winning Edge
• Play.Sport.Australia.
• Strategic Asset Review
• Stakeholder workshops with State Departments of Sport and Recreation
• ASC staff workshops and consultation.

Work on the ASC Strategic Direction will continue through 2017–18 as the ASC seeks to evolve its operations to take a stronger leadership role, working together with the key players with the sector to enable sport to deliver on its potential to deliver on its potential, now and in the future.