SSTTRRAATTEEGGIICC PPLLAANN

22001144 –– 22001166

OUR HISTORY

A brief history and profile of the Queensland Polocrosse Association Inc. (QPA):

 The Queensland Polocrosse Association Incorporated (QPA) was formed in 1957 with clubs from Cairns in the north to Goondiwindi in the south, Mt Isa in the west to Gold Coast in the east. At any given tournament you might find professional and business people, politicians, trades-people, farmers and school teachers all competing and mixing together. Their common characteristics are a love of sport, horses and a competitive spirit.

 Polocrosse is one of only three sports that Australia can truly claim as its own (the other two are Campdrafting and Australian Rules Football).

 Polocrosse is a family sport played by people of all ages and abilities from juniors to the veterans, beginners to experts.

 Polocrosse tournaments are often the main social outing for the family who travel, play and camp together.

 Some players are content with weekend participation while others strive for representative honours. The QPA currently holds a large number of spots on the Australian representative teams.

 Queensland has hosted many International Test events over the years including visiting teams from New Zealand, Zimbabwe, New Guinea, UK, Ireland and the Rest of the World Team against Australia in 1988, the inaugural World Cup – Morgan Park, Warwick in 2003 and again the second World Cup at Morgan Park, Warwick in April 2007.

 Volunteers are vital to our organisation. Like many sports, the QPA relies heavily on its volunteer network who provide a valued service that makes a huge difference to many people’s lives. The management of their sport and the sporting, economic and social benefits brought about by its activities within rural communities depends on what they can offer to encourage future growth.

 The QPA is governed by a Management Committee, 42 clubs, 6 Zones and a full time State Administrator.

Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 2 of 8 The QPA Mission

To develop the sport of Polocrosse throughout Queensland as a fiscally responsible and sustainable organisation that provides programs in the areas of coaching, umpiring and athlete development to such a degree as to make the sport enjoyable, well run and safe for all participants and visitors, and retains the existing member base and attracts new members of whatever colour, gender, race or disability who may wish to participate in the sport.

The QPA Vision

The vision of the QPA is aligned with the vision of the National body, the Polocrosse Association of Australia (PAA):

The Queensland Polocrosse Association Management, Coaches, Officials & Volunteers will strive to provide quality service and personal achievement in all aspects of Polocrosse programs and operations with a particular focus on participation, growth, and development

Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 3 of 8

VALUES  Family orientated environment  Friendly and happy atmosphere

 Participation  Social interaction and responsibility  Development, improvement

and achievement for all

 Development  Strong and positive culture and

 Effective communication involvement

 Growth  Respect  Sound event management  Fun and enjoyment GOALS

 Sustainability  Marketing & Promotions  Fairness, equity and integrity  Quality and safety for all

 Sound governance & management

 Value, respect and inclusion of all stakeholders  Trained and skilled coaches & umpires

 Strong administration & management  United & forward thinking approach

Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 4 of 8

The QPA SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES  Strong administration and co-ordination of State  Limited promotion and profile of polocrosse in activities Queensland  Sound communication with members and key  Limited quantity and quality of coaches and umpires stakeholders  Limited vehicles for recruiting younger members into  Financial security and sustainability committee positions  Governance and management  Recruitment and retention – limited player base  Events and competition management support  Dependency on volunteers  Volunteers, Staff and Management have a strong  Club management and development sense of identity and commitment to the  Marketing and promotion organisation  Integration of new participants  Positive profile within the equestrian industry  Inactivity of accredited coaches  Committed State Management Committee, open  Limited access to events due to distance to new ideas and approaches  Unified approach to strategic planning and co- ordination  Athlete development and pathways  Family involvement  National Database

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS  Build promotion and profile of the sport  Cost of the sport  Leverage QLD success at a National level to boost  Horse welfare issues the sports profile  Cost of insurance  Continue to develop sound governance and  Litigation issues management  Dependency on State government funding  Sponsorship support – attracting corporate  Economic and weather conditions partners  Market presence and profile  Networking with other horse sports –  Other horse sports participation opportunities  Lack of volunteers and limited availability  Facility development  Exotic diseases such as the Hendra Virus, Equine  Raise profile of QPA to government and other Influenza, Lyssavirus etc. funding agencies  Promote personal development, life and social skill development  More accurate demographic information and profile of sport  Youth development and participation  International coaching, umpiring and player representation  To develop women and junior participation in polocrosse in Queensland.

Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 5 of 8

KEY RESULT AREA ONE: GRASSROOTS PARTICIPATION

Deliverables 2014 – 2016 Deliverables Player Development 1.1 Conduct two junior coaching and development camps in a rural area with a minimum of 15 attendees per camp per year. 1.2 Establish four (4) developmental squads of 30 participants per squad (a total of 120 participants) for clear and accessible pathways for players at all levels. Hold up to four (4) training activities and two (2) competitions for these squads per year. 1.3 Send maximum number of teams to the Australian National Titles as set by the National body. 1.4 Ensure that the QPA has representation at the International Pan Pac Masters Games. Player Recruitment 1. Player 1.5 At least 15 clubs state-wide to hold “Come & Try” days aiming for a minimum of 50 participants per year, with the aim of increasing the Participation, interest in polocrosse and the number of polocrosse members. Recruitment 1.6 Hold a minimum of four (4) training days at QLD Pony Clubs per year, with the aim of recruiting additional members to play polocrosse. The and QPA will provide accredited coaches to run training sessions. Development 1.7 Work with clubs to hold membership recruitment activities to increase junior, female and overall participation numbers. Player Participation 1.8 Hold bi-annual Junior, Intermediate, Women’s and Masters Competitions to identify players for developmental squads. There will be four (4) clubs to host these events with an aim of 60 participants per division – a total of 240 participants. 1.9 Provide a junior player scholarship to travel to New Zealand (annually). 1.10 Provide discount membership incentives to encourage more players and families to become involved in the sport. 1.11 Support and develop a Player Mentor program at Club Level targeting 3 mentors per club (42 clubs). Education & Training 2.1 Conduct the following Education & Training activities:  Write and distribute an Administration Manual for Zones and Clubs.  Hold an Administration Workshop each year for Zones and Clubs.  Provide on-going training to all Club and Zone registrars on how to use the Membership Database.  Provide training and educational seminars to Clubs on QPA policies and procedures. Coaching 2.2 Conduct the following coaching activities: 2. Official  Establish and maintain a coaching pathway for Women and Girls. Development  Establish a Youth development pathway to increase the number of Youth coaches.  Design and implement a Coach Mentor program. Umpiring 2.3 Conduct the following umpire activities:  Establish and maintain an umpiring pathway for Women and Girls.  Establish a Youth Development scheme to increase the number of Youth umpires per year.  Design and implement an Umpire Mentor program at club level to accredit new umpires. 2.4 Provide an umpire scholarship to send one umpire to New Zealand (annually). 2.5 State Director of Umpiring and two assistants to conduct a minimum of two zone visits per annum. Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 6 of 8

Deliverables 2014 – 2016 Deliverables Managers 2.6 Establish, implement and maintain Manager Development Groups. 2.7 Establish and maintain a Youth Development Committee and maintain the Youth Development Manager position.

KEY RESULT AREA TWO: CLUB ASSOCIATION SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

Deliverables 2014 – 2016 Deliverables 3.1 Conduct an annual level 1 coaching clinic for new coaches in rural areas, aiming for 15 participants per annum. 3. Club association 3.2 Conduct one State level umpiring course per year for experienced umpires, aiming for a minimum of 10 participants per annum. support and 3.3 Encourage Clubs to participate in integrity in sport initiates and training opportunities. development 3.4 Provide a volunteer support network for our Clubs.

KEY RESULT AREA THREE: SERVICE DELIVERY

Deliverables 2014 – 2016 Deliverables 4.1 Review the QPA constitution on annual basis and make changes as appropriate. 4.2 Undertake a performance appraisal of board members, design a professional development plan for board / management committee members and design a succession plan for the Management Committee. 4. Governance & 4.3 Provide a report to the QPA members of progress on the Strategic Plan. Conduct a membership survey to establish whether the Strategic Planning Plan is meeting their needs. Provide a report to the QPA members of progress on the Strategic Plan. Conduct a community consultation for the 2017-2019 Strategic Plan. 4.4 Develop, implement and review an MPIO policy and procedure guide for the QPA and for each club. 5.1 Source a major sponsor for the development squads and representative teams. 5.2 Maintain sponsor for wall calendar. 5. Financial 5.3 Upgrade the accounting system to allow for more modern and efficient accounting procedures. Review new accounting system and make Management any necessary adjustments. 5.4 Maintain and grow the QPA commercial and rural property portfolio. 5.5 Continue to utilise the participating members to grow the cattle enterprise to provide revenue to the overall QPA membership. 6.1 Upgrade the website including:  Upgrade the layout of the website to include latest features.  Implement special event on-line nomination. 6. Information  Use the website to attract sponsorship advertising. Management  Conduct an annual audit of the website by obtaining feedback from our members on suggested improvements. 6.2 Establish a social media presence for the QPA, to engage existing and new participants, especially the 50% of our members that are <30 years. 7.1 Write and implement a three year marketing plan outlining the direction of the organisation. 7. Marketing & 7.2 Develop a marketing and promotion handbook for clubs. Implement this through zone based workshops. Promotions 7.3 Develop a relationship with the local university to hire a graduate marketing student to develop marketing opportunities for the organisation.

Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 7 of 8 KEY RESULT AREA FOUR: FEMALE DEVELOPMENT

Deliverables 2014 – 2016 Deliverables 8.1 Hold two workshops per year for female only participants to increase female player participation by improving horsemanship and playing skills (with the assistance of external providers), build confidence, improve networking and mentoring. 8.2 Send several elite female mentor players to rural QLD to coach, mentor and play at least one carnival per year. 8.3 Establish a mentoring and buddy system at a club and state level to assist girls/ladies to improve their skills and knowledge of the game. 8. Female Player 8.4 Provide assistance to clubs to provide special training for players that are new to the sport. (i.e horse preparation, learning the rules, learning the Development skills of the game, horse nutrition and fitness).

8.5 Hold more carnivals with women’s or mixed competitions to give women players more opportunities to play against just women. 8.6 Establish pathways to develop more female coaches and umpires. 8.7 Ensure that at least eight female officials attend the Nationals. 8.8 Discounted membership for junior and intermediate female members.

Queensland Polocrosse Association 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan Page 8 of 8