If you're an administrator wondering what you can do to support your sporting club during the coronavirus pandemic, there's a service waiting to hear from you.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
South West Sport wants to be a point of contact for clubs, leagues, associations and individuals in the south-west during the pandemic.
Acting chief executive officer Kimberley Ransfield said SWS wanted to provide clubs with a continuity of support through the pandemic.
She knows many club support mechanisms are currently not available and wants to help.
"I think we have around 500 clubs in our region, we'd love to hear from all 500," she said.
I think we have around 500 clubs in our region, we'd love to hear from all 500.
- Kimberley Ransfield
As well as the Warrnambool area, SWS services groups in the Corangamite Shire, Glenelg Shire, Moyne Shire and Southern Grampians Shire.
SWS wants to know how the pandemic is impacting an individual or their organisation and how it can best help.
This week it launched its Virtual Listening Post.
READ MORE:
If a club is looking for one-on-one advice, they can book in a time to have a video or phone meeting with a SWS staff member.
Appointments can be made on the organisation's website and are for one hour or 30 minutes.
"We're happy to take any sporting enquiry," Ransfield said.
"We just want to ensure we're there for a club to make contact with."
SWS can help groups get on top of their governance.
"We are developing a range of tools, including Club Health Checklists, templates and other resources to assist clubs with improving their governance during the break from scheduled competition," Ransfield said.
The organisation is also keen to host question and answer webinars.
SWS would normally run face-to-face workshops but has had to adapt to pandemic restrictions.
The webinars would be focused on topics sportspeople want to learn more about.
They could be about finance or mental health.
Clubs would submit their questions prior to a session and a panel of experts would be on hand to answer them.
"We're looking at having a panel of people from different organisations," Ransfield said.
SWS is also urging clubs to fill out an online expression of interest form, which can be found on its Facebook page.
The organisation wants to know what support, resources or advice clubs need.
It's also eager to hear about the creative initiatives clubs have come up with such as virtual training sessions.
It wants to promote those innovative ideas to the wider community.
A SWS staff member follows up with the person after they submit a form.
The organisation also has an email address clubs can use to contact staff with any enquiries during the pandemic.
It's covid19@southwestsport.com.au.
SWS also has a monthly newsletter, that was released this week, with key information and updates for clubs.
Ransfield said the group was trying to localise its support as much as possible.
She realises it's tough for clubs with so much information being distributed at present due the pandemic.
"We want to cut through the noise," she said.
SWS is working with overarching body Regional Sport Victoria with two priorities.
It wants to support the sport and recreation sector to ensure it comes through this period in as strong a position as possible.
It also aims to do everything it can to encourage people to stay active, wherever possible.
SWS postponed its Amazon Sports Star Awards ceremony which was due to be held at the end of May.
It will be rescheduled to a later date. Nominations are open indefinitely.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.
