To complete an application, you will need:

• your personal/contact details;
• details of the championship you are attending;
• your coach or official accreditation ID (if relevant);
• details for a contact (e.g. coach) within your club/team to confirm your selection;
  • for international events - details of a contact (e.g. coach) from the recognised NSO/D or School Sport Australia to confirm your selection
• contact details of your parent(s)/guardian(s); and
• personal bank account details for you or your parent(s)/guardian(s).

You should submit an application:

• once you have been selected to attend the championships and your participation has been confirmed; and
• if your competition falls between the competition dates outlined below.

Applications can be submitted at any time during the round opening and closing dates for competitions that occur within the relevant timeframes below:

Applications for competitions held during the eligible competition dates can be submitted at any time during the round. Applications do not need to be submitted within one month of the competition finishing, they can be submitted at any time the round is open.

Saved applications must be completed and submitted prior to the end of the round to be eligible.  Applications submitted in incorrect rounds will be ineligible.

It is recommended that you click Save Progress when you are filling out a form - for security reasons you will be logged out of the system if 20 minutes has elapsed and you have not saved your progress or navigated between pages.

If you wish to leave the application process prior to submitting your form, press ‘save progress’ and log out.

When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will see any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and continue where you left off.

You can also download your application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the navigation panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.

When you submit an application, you will receive an email, which will include a copy of your submitted responses.

It is important that you check the information in the attachment and email us at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au immediately should any information be incorrect.

If you haven’t received the autogenerated email from SmartyGrants, please check your junk email folder. If it is not there, please check your submission on your SmartyGrants portal and ensure your application is submitted. If you cannot find the email and your application has been submitted, please contact sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au.

If you wish to edit a submitted application, please contact the Local Sporting Champions program administrators at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au.

You may need to upload supporting documentation with your application.

You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time. Please see list of supported file types.

If you are attending multiple eligible championships, it is encouraged to submit an application for each eligible championship. However, applicants are eligible to receive only one grant per allocation year.

Note: This program is highly competitive and currently oversubscribed. As a result, the grant cannot be guaranteed.

For instructions about using the portal, see SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants.

For instructions about this specific Local Sporting Champions grant, read the Guidelines or FAQs

For any further questions, please contact the Local Sporting Champions program administrators at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au.

The following championships are eligible as per the eligibility criteria:

• An official state championships endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised national sporting organisation (NSO) or a school sport Australia member body.
  • e.g. Under 14 Netball NSW State Championships.
  • e.g. QLD School Sport U19 Boys Cricket State Championships.
• An official national championships endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised NSO or School Sport Australia.
  • e.g. 12 years and under 2019 Australian National Tennis Championships.
  • e.g. School Sport Australia 17 & Under National Softball Championships.
• An international competition as a member of a team, that is representing an ASC recognised NSO or School Sport Australia.
  • e.g. attending the AFF Under 16 Youth Championships in Cambodia as part of the Football Australia team.
  • e.g. travelling to Belgium on an international tour as part of the School Sport Australia hockey team.

Click on the below links to check out ASC recognised NSOs, NSODs and the School Sport Australia calendar of eligible events.

• ASC Recognised National Sporting Organisations
• School Sport Australia – Calendar of Domestic Events
• School Sport Australia – Calendar of International Tours

Applications for participation in the following are ineligible:

• A club or state team attending an international competition or travelling overseas.
  • e.g. A team attending the Ultimate Fiji Cup that is representing Football SA, not Football Australia.
  • e.g. A NSW Combined High Schools Sports Association (NSWCHSSA) cricket team touring the United Kingdom, not the School Sport Australia team.
• Development or training squads and camps.
  • e.g. Participating in the NSW/ACT AFL Academy Program.
  • e.g. U18 Carina Leagues Club NRL training sessions in preparation for the State Championships.
• Ongoing seasonal competitions.
  • e.g. Basketball NSW Waratah Southern Junior League.
  • e.g. Football NSW Premier League.
• Local and regional competitions
  • e.g. BMX NSW Regional Competitions.
    e.g. Capricornia 16 – 19 Years Football Trials.
• Competitions delivered by organisations not affiliated with an ASC recognised national sporting organisation.
  • e.g. Competitions organised by Australian Futsal Association, National Cheerleaders Association or Royal Life Saving Society Australia.
  • e.g. Oz tag, drill dance or Irish dancing competitions.
• Competitions delivered by associations not affiliated with School Sport Australia.
  • e.g. Competitions organised by Christian School Sports Association.
• Invitational or Friendship Series competitions.
  • e.g. Basketball - East Coast Slam or Southern Cross Challenge.
  • e.g. Hockey - Southern Skies Tournament.

For international competitions, an official Australian team is a team that is representing an ASC recognised national sporting organisation (NSO) or School Sport Australia.

• See the list of ASC recognised NSOs.
• See the list of School Sport Australia endorsed international tours.

Although an NSO or School Sport Australia may support a club or state team attending an international competition and representing Australia, a club or state team is not classified as the ‘official’ Australian team for the purposes of the Local Sporting Champions program.

Examples of eligible teams:

• e.g. attending the AFF Under 16 Youth Championships in Cambodia as part of the Football Australia team.
• e.g. travelling to New Zealand on an international tour as part of the School Sport Australia netball team.

Examples of ineligible teams:

• e.g. a team attending the Ultimate Fiji Cup that is representing Football SA, not Football Australia.
• e.g. a NSW Combined High Schools Sports Association (NSWCHSSA) cricket team touring the United Kingdom, not the School Sport Australia team.

No. We are unable to provide an exemption for any applicant that is not turning 12 to 18 years of age in the same calendar year as the nominated championships.

Note: You can apply if you are 11 years of age at the time of applying, but will be turning 12 during the same calendar year (1 January – 31 December) as the nominated championships.

The Local Sporting Champions (LSC) program is designed to support sportspeople through the teenage years when research shows that the largest dropout rates occur.  It is for this reason that the LSC program aims to provide financial assistance for sportspeople around this time, to ease the financial burden on their families, which will hopefully lead to lower dropout rates.

The lower age limit has been set at 12 years as it is around this age when ASC research shows that junior athletes start to take sport more seriously and begin competing at the level of competition that is supported by the LSC program. The upper limit of 18 years has been set as at this age the sportspeople are adults, even if in their particular sport they may still be able to compete through the junior or youth pathways.

Yes, if you have attended the championships you are able to submit an application.

Applications for competitions held during the eligible competition dates can be submitted at any time during the round. Applications do not need to be submitted within one month of the competition finishing, they can be submitted at any time the round is open.

Check out the Third Party Funding opportunities to see if you may be eligible for another grant program.

Yes, you can still apply for a grant if the championships occur before your application is assessed or you are advised of the outcome of your application.

In these cases, if you are successful, the grant will be provided as a reimbursement for costs incurred by attending the championships.

No. The Local Sporting Champions program is currently oversubscribed with a large number of applications received each year. All applications undergo a competitive assessment process, and as a result, the grant cannot be guaranteed.

Your Application ID number can be found in the subject line of the email the ASC sent when you submitted your application.

Remember to check your junk email folder if you cannot find this email.

If successful, you can use the grant on any associated cost for you to attend the nominated championships.

Examples of expenses include (but is not limited to):

• Competition entry fees/levies
• Transport costs (e.g. airfares, petrol)
• Accommodation
• Uniform
• Sporting equipment

If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to attend the nominated championships, contact us at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au

Applications are assessed within each local area.  If a team member is successful in receiving a grant , and you are not, it is likely that your area had more applicants attending International events or travelling greater distances.  Each area has different levels of competition each round and some applicants for the same competition may be successful in some areas while in others they may be unsuccessful.

An applicant may receive a maximum of one grant from an application submitted in the same allocation
year (3 June 2024 – 30 April 2025).

If you have received a grant this allocation year, you will be eligible to apply for another grant at the start of the next allocation year.

To check if you have received a LSC grant this allocation year:

1. Login to your smartygrants account at - Home Page - Australian Sports Commission (smartygrants.com.au)
2. Click on my submissions at the top of the screen
3. Scroll down to the Submitted Forms section
4. Identify the last Local Sporting Champions application you submitted.  This will tell you the round and allocation year it was submitted.  Compare this with the current round that is open.

If you have already submitted an application that was successful in the same allocation year you will not be eligible for another grant until the next allocation year starts.

An ‘Allocation Year’ is the term used for one full yearly cycle of the Local Sporting Champions program.

Note: The program is not administered over a calendar year or financial year.

• The 2022-23 allocation year commenced on 1 April 2022 and concluded on 31 March 2023.
• The 2023-24  allocation year commenced on 1 June 2023 and will conclude on 30 April 2024.

No.  To be eligible for a Local Sporting Champions grant if you are an athlete, coach or official, you need to be between 12-18 years of age.