43rd ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS

President’s Report Page 4

Chief Executive’s Report Page 6-7

Resources Report Page 8

Business Assurance Report Page 9

Business Development Report Page 10

Membership Development Report Page 11-12

Centre Liaison Report Page 13-14

Registrations 2012/2013 Page 15-16

Championships/Competition Report Page 17-18

Competition & Volunteers Report Page 19-20

Officials Report Page 21-22

Coaching & Development Report Page 23-31

2 LITTLE ATHLETICS

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

President Neil Sandall Championships/Competition Heather Mitchell Business Assurance Russell Briggs Membership/Development Trevor Hinwood Officials Peter Barnes Business Development Michael Gray Resources Greg Dickson

STAFF

Chief Executive Officer Kerry O’Keefe Executive Assistant Georgie Boost Administration Assistant Trish Bright Centre Liaison Officer Chantelle Grills Competition & Volunteer Coordinator Diane Levy Coaching & Development Officers Darren Wensor Alvin Umadhay Regional Coaching & Development Officers Nick Bromley Scott Wescott Coaching & Development Administrator Cheryl Webb Online & Graphics Coordinator (part time) Amy Harris Finance Coordinator (part time) Greg Skinner

MEDICAL OFFICER Professor Marcus Vowels

LEGAL ADVISOR John Bateman

AUDITOR Moore Stephens Sydney West

LANSW OFFICE 90 - 92 Harris Street HARRIS PARK 2150 Ph: 9633 4511 Website: littleathletics.com.au Email: [email protected]

3 PRESIDENT

It is a pleasure to provide you with my first President’s report. We can reflect on a very significant year of achievement over the past season.

The 2012/13 season has been our most successful in registered competitors ever with a total of 41,557. This represents a 15.6% increase over the previous season and also eclipsed our previous 2004/05 season record. Well done to all those centres who successfully adjusted to managing record numbers at their local centres and were still able to provide effective weekly competitions and skills development with much bigger numbers.

This year also saw the full realisation of our new eight region championship structure with four metropolitan and four country regions. We also rolled out our new qualification regime from Region to State Championships which effectively saw up to 24 qualifiers in each event – 16 being automatic qualifiers by virtue of 1st and 2nd placings in each event of the Regional Championships, with a further eight qualifying based on best remaining performances collectively across all eight regions.

We also introduced a fully-timed program at the State Championships for the first time and we were largely able to meet published event times throughout all three days so that we finished each day’s competition around the scheduled time. This approach gives families more certainty of when their children are actually competing. My appreciation is extended to all those LANSW and centre officials who helped us successfully demonstrate the merit of the timed program at this year’s State Championships.

After a successful postal ballot with more than 87% voting in favour, we also now have a new LANSW Constitution which strengthens our governance arrangements and puts our centres at the forefront of our business model. Again my appreciation is extended to the constitution committee who helped bring about the strong vote in favour of the new constitution.

We have also continued to adopt relevant new technologies to assist us to streamline our service delivery, including improved functioning of our major events for the benefit of all involved.

Next season promises new challenges – not the least being the significant task of retaining and growing our membership from the record base level achieved this past season. One effective way of realising that goal will be for centres to proactively engage with and encourage our many new starters from last season to come back and give Little Athletics another go in the 2013/14 season.

I would also like to extend congratulations to our State Team who again won the overall points score in competition at ALAC’s in Canberra in April. Last season’s home-based Trans Tasman team were also triumphant in the annual Challenge held at Campbelltown in January 2013.

Our sport succeeds as a relatively low-cost sport because of the large pool of volunteers who make centre and higher level competitions effectively happen throughout our season. But their efforts are complemented by the generous support of our sponsors who include:- McDonald’s, IGA, The Athlete’s Foot, Hart Sport and Coca Cola Amatil. Their ongoing financial and in-kind support is much valued and appreciated by the LANSW family.

Once again we worked closely and successfully with our counterparts in Little Athletics Australia, Athletics NSW and Athletics Australia through a range of joint-venture partnerships to the benefit of the wider athletics community. I am convinced that even more effective collaborations will emerge as we jointly strive to grow athletic participation for the long-term benefit of our sport and its community profile.

Unlike the other team-based sports, which generally function with a much more limited volunteer base, LAs relies on a much larger pool of parent helpers/volunteers. This includes the board, its advisory committees, zone coordinators, LANSW officials, as well as centre committees, their coaches and officials. To all, I say well done as without your regular contributions we could not successfully deliver our community-based sports package each season. 4 PRESIDENT

It remains for me to simply thank the board and my predecessor, Dereck Fineberg (now President LAA) for their support to me as I stepped in to the President’s role following board endorsement. I would also like to place on record my appreciation to Russell Briggs who willingly accepted the opportunity to fill the casual board vacancy in the Business Assurance portfolio which I had necessarily vacated.

In closing, I look forward to working with you all in the 2013/14 season to continue the great family sporting tradition that is Little Athletics, as we celebrate the 50th season of this uniquely Australian developed children/young peoples’ sporting icon.

Neil Sandall PRESIDENT

5 CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Once again, I am pleased to be able to report on the progress of Little Athletics NSW, in what has been a BIG year!

We have had our biggest ever membership; biggest ever entry into the State Championships; biggest number of newly accredited officials; biggest number of centres requesting school visits; biggest level of support via Facebook; biggest number of athletes utilising the online registration system; and biggest number of athletes supported through the Athlete Assistance Scheme.

Registrations stand at 41,557, which represents a huge 15.6% increase on the previous year. This sounds great, but if we compare this figure to the numbers that we were consistently achieving a few years ago, it is only an increase of about 4%. Membership growth is an area in which we will collectively have to strive to achieve year after year. What often occurs is that centres fear growing even larger than the numbers they experienced in a ‘bumper’ year and therefore scale back advertising efforts. History tells us however, that this is not the way to go and increased advertising the following year is actually required.

It was also pleasing to see an increase in the number of centres promoting the online registration system as the preferred method of registration and subsequently an increase in the number of athletes registering via this means. We had approximately 12,300 athletes register and pay online, which shows an increase of 89% over the past two years. The number of athletes registering online and paying manually also continues to grow and now sits at around 20,000.

The growth in members this year is primarily a result of the Olympics and the gold medal performance of former Little Athlete, Sally Pearson. The week that Sally won her medal, remains the week with the biggest reach for the LANSW Facebook page, with the total reach exceeding 8,500 people. This was a perfect advertising tool that fell right at registration time.

Also a key factor in our registration increase was the brilliant Little Athletics lift-out in the Daily Telegraph, courtesy of McDonald’s. This eight page lift out in the 6 September edition was exclusively about Little Athletics NSW and contained a mix of editorial, photographs and advertising. Thanks to McDonald’s and to their public relations company PPR, who put the material together and coordinated the coverage with the Daly Telegraph.

A further factor assisting with the increase in membership is the reach of the LANSW school visit program. During the months of August and September 2012, a total of 45,000 NSW school students, at 220 schools were contacted via the promotional school visit program. These visits were made by LANSW development staff on behalf of 69 Little Athletics centres. This remains one of our best marketing tools.

This year saw the introduction of the new eight region championship structure and revised qualification process to the state championships. As a result of the new structure, a total of 2,600 athletes qualified for the State Championships. This is the largest ever number of athletes ever to qualify for our pinnacle event. It is great to see this opportunity expanded to include more members of our sport.

The introduction of the online official’s assessment program in August 2012 has meant a significant increase in the number of officials obtaining accreditation at the D and C grade levels. A total of 1269 C and D grade exams were passed during the 2012/13 season, which represents an increase of 122% on the previous year.

The past season again saw a number of financial assistance programs offered to our members. Total funding across these programs was lower than last year at $35,775, due to the lack of submissions for the Centre Grant Scheme. The individual support programs however continue to grow. Total funding was comprised of the following: $5,775 to 23 athletes as part of the Country Athletes Support Program, providing financial assistance to talented young athletes from country areas of NSW to attend the State Championships; $7,000 to 80 Little Athletes as part of the Athlete Assistance Program, helping with registration expenses; and $23,000 for nine centres via the Centre Grant Scheme, for equipment and facility upgrade. 6 CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Thanks are extended to David Moore (Kings Langley LAC) who sourced an Optus Community Grant grant on behalf of the LANSW for the Little Athletics NSW Athlete Assistance Program.

The postal ballot conducted with the approval of the NSW Fair Trading, Director General, for the adoption of a new LANSW constitution, took place at the end of 2012, with voting for the resolution closing on 19 December 2012. Ross Turner (CEO of the NSW Sports Federation) acted in the capacity as independent scrutineer overseeing the process of counting postal votes and ensuring that the process was consistent with Schedule 3 of the Associations Regulation 2010. A total of 87% of the votes were in favour of acceptance of the new constitution, and therefore the resolution was passed. The new constitution was registered with the Office of Fair Trading in January 2013. Thanks are extended to the Constitution Advisory Committee for their perseverance in finding the right compromises and to the NSW Sports Federation for their assistance with the vote count.

We had one staffing change during the past 12 months, this being in the area of coaching and development. In December 2012 we accepted the resignation of Isabel Menton from the position of Coaching and Development Administrator and we were pleased to appoint Cheryl Webb to the role. Cheryl has a great understanding of the sport being a former member of LANSW and a multiple Australian representative athlete. Cheryl began work on 18 February 2013 and is already proving that she will be an asset to LANSW.

The Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws changed last year with the new Work Health and Safety Act 2011, and these changes do have an impact on the sports industry. Relevant LANSW staff members have over the past year attended various seminars and workshops on the changes and the implications for sport. We have been awaiting the completion of the Australian Sports Commission’s ‘Sporting Clubs Guide to a Safe Workplace’, in order to tailor education for centres around this publication. This has now been received and this will be a focus going forward.

We continued our close working relationship with Athletics NSW and with Athletics Australia through our involvement in the ASC funded joint venture. As a member of the Joint Venture Management Committee, which oversees the implementation of this venture, I have once again attended several meetings in Melbourne over the course of the year and it pleasing to see the number and range of joint venture partnerships continue to grow. Recent talks regarding future joint initiatives have also taken place at the instigation of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), including discussions relating to a closer working structure between LAA and AA in the future. Outcomes of these discussions will be reported in due course.

As always, I take this opportunity to thank our wonderful partners McDonald’s, IGA, The Athletes Foot, Hart Sport, IMG STG, Coca-Cola Amatil and GA Millers. Without their support we would not be able to operate as we do.

My appreciation is extended to our zone coordinators, advisory committees, officials, centre committees and volunteers, all of who play integral parts in the success of Little Athletics in NSW.

My thanks, as always, go to the board for their support. I also take this opportunity to offer special thanks to former President, Dereck Fineberg, for a great working relationship and for our friendship. Dereck always carried out the role with great proficiency and always offered full support to myself and the other members of staff. I look forward to a continued working relationship with Dereck in his new role as President of Little Athletics Australia.

Very special thanks are also extended to every member of staff for their tireless efforts and continued dedication to their duties. Their efforts in dealing with the ever-changing demands that are placed upon them each year are truly appreciated.

I look forward to working alongside everyone again in the year ahead - a year that celebrates the 50th season of Little Athletics in Australia – a milestone for which we all should feel very proud! Kerry O’Keefe CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 7 RESOURCES

The 2012/2013 financial year saw a significant growth in the financial position in the strength of the LANSW and in the strength of net assets of the organisation. This was mirrored in the position of a large number of centres who saw a significant growth in registrations.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Income was $383,491 or 19.6% above budget. Registrations were the highest they have been for many years as we saw a significant jump as a result of the Olympics. We received a government grant via the Australian Sports Commission which has allowed NSW to continue to employ a development officer in targeted areas. Increased income was generated from LANSW run programs and interest generated from our investment policies.

Positive growth in income was seen in coaching camps and clinics and sponsorship.

Expenditure was $90,069 or 4.6% above budget for the year. The major contributor to the over budget expenditure were costs expended in relation to the ASC grant which was not in the budget for both income and expenditure.

Championships expenditure was above budget and needs to be reviewed as we settle in the new championship structure.

The additional development officer who was not budgeted for in income also meant unbudgeted expenditure in relation to salaries and motor vehicle costs.

The cost of the conference and meeting expenditure at first look appears to be significantly overspent but an underspending is shown in workshops and meetings and a refund of expenditure has also been received in the current financial year.

The net surplus has meant that as an organisation we have been able to hold fees at the current level for the coming financial year. It has also meant that we have been able to assist zones with additional equipment which will assist them to run more efficiently in coming years. The LANSW is also looking at investing funds into resources to assist the delivery of basic skills training to centres and junior athletes.

Greg Dickson RESOURCES DIRECTOR

8 BUSINESS ASSURANCE

GOVERNANCE There has been little doubt that the new LANSW Constitution has remained the major focus of this portfolio since the 2012 Conference.

After the narrow loss of the constitution vote at the 2012 Ulladulla AGM, the board tasked the Constitution Advisory Committee to progress this matter to a successful conclusion having regard to remaining member concerns.

Additional concessions were made in respect to a variety of identified sticking points predominantly in the area of voting rights of life members and zone coordinators, and the implementation of sunset clauses in holding dual positions as zone coordinators and centre executive positions. These concessions sought to strike a balance between the membership concerns and the expectations of the Act for good governance arrangements to be pursued as core principles of the new constitution.

The board, after consultation with and the approval of the Office of Fair Trading, arranged a postal vote of the membership. This led to the new LANSW Constitution being passed with an 87% majority voting. The document was subsequently registered with the Office of Fair Trading on 17 January 2013.

A special thanks to the advisory committee of Ros Read, Andrew Martin, Ron Daniel, Maria McConville, Mavis Godber, Allan Johnson and the board for their ongoing review of this constitution. A special thanks to our President Neil Sandall for all his work on this constitution over the last 3 years.

The next step has been the completion of the various regulations which help operationalise the aims and objectives of the new constitution. In the main these regulations have been completed and by the time of our Annual Conference we should have most, if not all, completed and published for all to see on the LANSW website.

Unfortunately, with the focus on the constitution and the regulations, the new centre draft constitution template has not yet been completed but we hope to have this finalised and available for centres to consider early in the new season.

RISK MANAGEMENT It was pleasing to see the Risk Management Guidelines being followed this year especially in some very hot conditions in mid-January. The board has hopefully helped to reinforce the need for centres to follow these guidelines closely as a sensible and effective approach to athlete and volunteer health and safety.

LANSW has just received the new Work, Health & Safety Guidelines from the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and we have also received copies of these from NSW Sport & Recreation to be distributed to centres for their review.

Insurance risk remains a key component of LANSW nationally and our policies help to ensure a safe operating environment with the aim of further reducing claims and our insurance premiums. Over the last season our claims in NSW have been kept to a minimum and this in part has been due to excellent centre and LANSW safety reviews. We ask that centres keep us informed of all injuries that potentially could lead to future claims in line with our insurance policy guidelines.

Russell Briggs BUSINESS ASSURANCE DIRECTOR

9 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The season just finished resulted in a new record number of registrations for Little Athletics NSW . This is a great achievement and everyone involved should be congratulated.

Since last year’s conference I am pleased to announce that Dreamteam Management completed their sponsorship review. They have prepared a new sponsorship proposal package which has become a useful tool for us to present to sponsors. It also enabled us to see what value we have in the marketplace. We now have a tiered level of sponsorship support to meet the needs of our sponsors.

Whilst talking of sponsors, LANSW has some great long term sponsorship partners and I would like to publicly thank, McDonalds, IGA, Hart Sport, Coca Cola Amatil and The Athletes Foot for their continued support.

Our TV and radio commercials have been booked for the next few months and McDonalds are marking their 10th year of support by commissioning a new TV commercial to mark the occasion.

The compilation and gathering of information that Amy Harris does to prepare and publish the Run for Fun E-News should be recognised. Without her involvement this important information journal could not be delivered bi-monthly for the benefit of all members.

Finally I would like to thanks my fellow board members, zone coordinators, life members, staff, athletes and parents for their enthusiasm and continued support in making Little Athletics an enjoyable sport for all to be involved with. One of our primary goals next season is to maintain our registration numbers and to continue to grow. This can only be achieved by working together.

Michael Gray BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

10 MEMBERSHIP/DEVELOPMENT

REGISTRATIONS 2012/2013 SEASON - WELL DONE! It is very pleasing to report that our registrations for the past season broke our previous record of 41,128 athletes set in 2004/2005. At the time of writing this report, this season’s number of registrations stands at 41,557, with some still trickling into the database. This is a huge improvement over the last few years where the numbers plateaued at around 36,000 athletes.

This could only have been achieved by a concerted effort from all concerned to promote Little Athletics and interlinking with promotions involving the London Olympics. The timing of the London Olympics and the massive television/press coverage definitely helped us. Other states also had increases. Thank you to all involved in helping us to attain this record number of registrations.

NEW CENTRES AND REFORMED CENTRES There were several new /reformed centres this season. Refer to the Centre Liaison Officer’s Report for more detailed information.

We continue to look at possible centres in growth areas. In the last 12 months discussions have taken place with the following councils: Camden Council regarding a new facility and possible new centre; and Blacktown City Council regarding a new facility at The Ponds for a new centre.

Discussions are also taking place with other councils regarding future sporting facility needs in their areas.

CENTRE SUPPORT We continued the work that commenced last season and have identified several centres where there has been a decline over the past five years in registrations. In recent months, we have been working with these centres, attending AGM’s and ascertaining reasons for the decline. This work will continue and assistance will be provided where necessary. We do not want to see centres close!

ONLINE REGISTRATIONS This is the preferred way of taking athlete registrations. We need centres to encourage and support this method of registration. This season we had over 12,000 athletes register and pay online. There are many advantages in registering this way.

GROWTH FOCUS GROUP During this season the Growth Focus Group worked in three key areas with the following people involved: • Skill Development: coordinated by Alvin Umadhay (members are Astrid Lepelaar and Darryl Channells) • Centre Programing: coordinated by Matt Andrews (members are Darren Tait and Greg Dickson) • Centre Operations: coordinated by Chantelle Grills (members are Sally Richardson, Craig Scott, Ian Adams and Marion Bennett)

In the later part of the season we reviewed the progress of each group and decided that the skill development and centre programming groups had progressed as far as they could at this stage. The centre operations group still has work that needs to be undertaken. Centre operations covers a large area and work will continue with Chantelle Grills and input from other members where required. Alvin Umadhay has produced information on ‘Skills Development’ programs and Matt Andrews is putting the finishing touches to model centre programs to assist centres in running more efficiently.

Thank you to the people who have contributed to these groups over the past 12 months.

11 MEMBERSHIP/DEVELOPMENT

REVIEW OF ATHLETIC FACILITIES This review gathered pace this last season with meetings with various councils, centre committees, zone coordinators and relevant LANSW staff and board members.

A Dubbo site has now been finalised for a synthetic track and planning and funding is well underway. Other sites that are considered for discussions regarding potential synthetic tracks include Lismore, Armidale, Tamworth and Wagga.

Chantelle Grills and Matt Rowan (ANSW) are meeting regularly to continue the review of possible sites for synthetic tracks and improved grass facilities around NSW.

Trevor Hinwood MEMBERSHIP/DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

12 CENTRE LIAISON

As I continued to learn throughout the year, I was able to help many centres throughout NSW who needed assistance, whether it was forming a new centre or working closely with the centres who had notified me of issues e.g. not being able to hold an AGM due to lack of attendance, or not being able to form a committee, as well as those who had been declining in registrations over the past few years.

We had two new centres commence with us this year, being Oberon and Coolamon, with 56 and 99 registrations respectfully. Both centres had representation at both zone and region. I also received a number of new centre enquiries, with Dungog, Blayney and Tumbarumba now affiliated for the upcoming season.

There was a total of three Country Seminars held in 2012 – Narrandera, Wellington and Port Macquarie. Unfortunately, Armidale had to be cancelled due to lack of numbers. I was lucky enough to be able to attend all three of the seminars, where it was a pleasure meeting many centre personnel.

I was also able to meet a number of centres within Region 3 at their regional championship held in Dubbo in February.

Greg Dickson and I went on two ‘tours’ in October and November 2012 to Western and Northern NSW, where we met with personnel from 20 centres and visited some centres for their competition night. They were both very successful trips. We were able to learn a lot from our centre visits and hope our centres were able to benefit from us also.

Trevor Hinwood, LANSW Membership Development Director and myself, together with Matt Rowan, ANSW (Athletics NSW) Development Manager, have been categorising athletic facilities with the aim of seeing how we can make improvements and develop a facility plan. This is still a work in progress.

During the past year, Matt Rowan, Trevor Hinwood and I have been speaking to councils about facilities within some growth areas. • Dubbo City Council has secured government funding to build a synthetic track on the existing field of Barden Park. • Blacktown City Council came to LANSW in January 2013 saying they have identified the growth area within the Blacktown district of The Ponds for allocation of green space, including an athletics facility. The Ponds will be in either the West Metropolitan or North West Metropolitan Zone. LANSW is currently working with Blacktown City Council’s landscape architect to finalise the designs for the joint athletics and baseball field. • Penrith City Council arranged a meeting with LANSW to discuss the proposal of a district level synthetic track for athletic centres/clubs within the Penrith local area. This could be a new facility or an upgrade of an existing ground. The steering committee and Penrith City Council are in current communications about the possible ground and its location. • Camden Council and LANSW are currently working to see if we can be a part of a new facility upgrade in the South West Metropolitan Zone in conjunction with cricket. The biggest problem is funding, as Camden Council hasn’t secured any funding as yet.

I was pleased to announce that eight centres had been successful with their application for the Centre Grant Scheme. The scheme aims to assist centres throughout NSW, in obtaining track and field equipment and facilities that will better enable them to conduct events for their members.

A big thank you goes to the LANSW Board of Management, Neil Sandall, Trevor Hinwood, Heather Mitchell, Michael Gray, Peter Barnes, Greg Dickson and Russell Briggs for their continued help and guidance throughout the year.

13 CENTRE LIAISON

I would also like to say a huge thank you to LANSW staff, Kerry, Diane, Darren, Alvin, Cheryl, Georgie, Trish, Amy and Greg.

Finally thank you to all centres, centre representative and zone coordinators for your continued support throughout the past year.

I look forward to working with you all again in the upcoming season.

Chantelle Grills CENTRE LIAISON OFFICER

14 REGISTRATIONS 2012-2013

REGISTRATIONS 2012/2013 SEASON Registrations for this season were above our expectations due to the Olympics being held at the commencement of our season.

At the time of writing this report we had a total of 41,577 registrations which is an increase of 15.6% on last season.

There were some extremely big increases in overall centre numbers, especially with some of the metropolitan centres. For example: Ryde went from 455 to 636 (40%); Balmain from 537 to 792 (47%) and Mosman from 482 to 695 (44%).

Notably the biggest percentage increase in the state was Port Stephens with an increase of 129 members, which equates to a massive 126% increase. Other centres in regional areas requiring special mention are: Ballina, who went from 124 to 248 (100%); Woolgoolga from 49 to 107 (118%) and Wollondilly from 91 to 194 (113%).

ONLINE REGISTRATIONS This season also saw an increase in the number of members registering using the online system, with a total of 12,300 registering and paying online.

Feedback from members confirmed the easiness of registering and paying via the online system.

This is the system we would like centres to encourage all members to use. There are many advantages, including the accuracy and completeness of member details in our database and eliminating the unnecessary use of paper.

There was also a higher usage by centres in finalising data within the online system, meaning greater eligibility for our registration rebate.

Trish Bright ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT

15 REGISTRATIONS 2012-2013 % 0.90 1.65 3.17 6.86 9.74 4.44 8.54 5.35 ‐ 9.30 ‐ 1.14 ‐ 0.82 ‐ 0.43 ‐ 2.96 ‐ 0.53 ‐ 3.84 ‐ 2.61 ‐ 2.69 ‐ 7.30 ‐ 4.07 10.55 15.70 17.67 15.87 23.32 32.61 16.84 79.69 41.67 11.11 50.00 20.00 17.22 37.28 18.49 47.49 32.92 11.84 31.21 38.52 36.99 40.47 13.17 13.53 46.87 ‐ 14.58 ‐ 35.48 ‐ 10.89 64 48 62 50 221 484 364 199 176 144 172 300 367 460 193 417 469 252 233 338 171 118 102 188 365 273 230 279 595 335 537 480 397 141 308 257 610 180 392 137 215 205 266 367 270 410 467 2011/2012 68 60 40 223 220 174 123 370 238 199 439 328 187 351 320 224 364 177 548 353 232 190 109 533 383 705 553 638 115 260 326 792 229 444 188 845 185 338 127 537 302 259 232 302 445 539 492 2012/2013 41577 35948 ZONE Sports Clair Park

Robins Suburbs Blues Hill Park Park CITY Park Valley Eastern Wests Hacking MET ZONE Emu Plains WEST MET ZONE REGION 7 OUTER WEST MET ZONE CENTRAL WEST MET ZONE Mt Pritchard Campbelltown REGION 8 INNER Bankstown Mt Druitt STH WEST MET ZONE Camden Balmain Western STH MID WEST MET ZONE % 0.22 Eschol 9.05 Lethbridge Park 5.00 Penrith Valley ‐ 8.55 Douglas ‐ 7.04 Quakers ‐ 6.25 Smithfield 10.45 Ingleburn 19.77 Blacktown 25.00 Prospect 26.88 Everley 33.33 37.80 Doonside 22.0278.57 Jamison Nepean 20.83 30.34 Tallawong 22.37 35.29 Ambarvale 17.52 39.78 12.88 Green 23.03 Holroyd 19.6227.03 Canterbury Eastern Suburbs 44.19 South 16.49 Randwick/Botany 32.98 Tiger 62.65 Helensburgh 42.54 43.27 Illawong 16.75 Port 20.21 St George 19.91 Sutherland ‐ 39.29 Cranebrook ‐ 10.71 Cabra ‐ Vale Fairfield ‐ 18.86 Minchinbury ‐ 12.28 Werrington ‐ 41.38 Colyton/St ‐ 35.44 Girraween ‐ 12.16 Greystanes ‐ 36.84 ‐ 20.69 Prestons ‐ 18.07 Warradale ‐ 16.88 Revesby/Workers 113.19 Western ‐ 100.00 Liverpool 2012/13 2011/12 0 86 93 28 12 82 14 72 17 57 58 45 74 19 91 421 280 899 109 267 228 491 491 455 112 175 210 284 132 206 178 160 145 372 603 482 144 843 285 166 166 228 490 418 160 381 462 2011/2012 TOTAL TOTAL 0 23 16 25 99 34 65 17 50 12 87 465 577 103 350 449 229 264 348 636 168 113 219 901 118 142 133 279 149 115 133 766 445 695 135 982 100 136 270 379 488 702 325 133 458 194 554 2012/2013 ZONE ZONE Basin MET ZONE RIVERINA Rams ‐ Wagga RIVERINA Hills 4 ‐ Gai Wagga Park Wyalong Illawarra Cargelligo District Georges Temora WESTERN EASTERN STH COAST H'LANDS ZONE Griffith NTH MET ZONE Ryde NTH EAST Deniliquin MID SOUTH COAST ZONE Bowral REGION 5 REGION 6 NTH WEST MET ZONE Winston % REGION 1.27 Parramatta 1.21 Lake 9.36 Hay 8.66 3.79 Ku ‐ Ring 9.78 Dapto 4.65 Manly/Warringah ‐ 9.09 Nth Rocks/C'ford ‐ 7.14 Nth Suburbs ‐ 7.83 Cootamundra ‐ 2.78 Lake ‐ 1.21 Wollondilly 59.05 Coolamon 22.41 Cherrybrook 19.25 Finley 32.69 Tumut 45.10 Junee 40.74 Milton/Ulladulla 81.82 Shoalhaven 12.55 St 55.56 Leeton 48.28 Narrandera 40.00 57.89 West 29.08 Kooringal 35.19 Albion 26.34 Ardlethan/Beckom 20.83 Hornsby 25.00 Mosman 90.91 Nth Districts 11.21 Nth Illawarra 15.20 33.33 32.80 Wollongong ‐ 26.02 Kiama ‐ 33.89 ‐ 37.89 Billabong ‐ 28.07 Lockhart ‐ 26.19 Moulamein ‐ 43.90 ‐ 46.15 Sussex Inlet ‐ 95.74 Hawkesbury ‐ 44.29 Hills ‐ 31.58 Kings Langley ‐ 72.00 Riverstone ‐ 12.10 Rouse Hill 100.00 Wagga 126.47 0 11 95 57 55 27 29 41 15 95 65 96 22 42 47 70 95 25 112 157 105 217 123 108 348 180 265 309 101 306 108 247 126 102 141 165 108 186 235 127 132 276 172 104 116 125 247 125 124 2011/2012 2 7 10 91 93 23 59 41 35 43 21 56 42 42 56 65 39 104 105 167 200 426 159 119 167 202 146 444 100 150 410 278 257 138 316 231 182 235 152 116 303 137 144 130 129 180 244 166 109 2012/2013 ZONE ZONE ZONE City PLAINS RANGES RSL HUNTER MACQUARIE Hill Stephens Medowie PORT CENTRAL T'LANDS ZONE Grenfell Orange WESTERN LAKE REGION 3 WESTERN Coonamble Glenbrook % 6.15 Edgeworth 4.76 Charlestown 7.14 Windale 0.00 Thornton 7.14 Cumnock 0.00 Port 4.86 8.33 Dubbo 4.68 Gilgandra 1.36 Nyngan 7.25 Trangie ‐ 3.17 Tilligerry ‐ 1.89 Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest ‐ 9.00 Oberon ‐ 6.35 Dubbo 37.93 Peak 22.22 Stockton 13.33 Parkes 42.00 Springwood 41.82 East Lakes 42.53 35.19 Adamstown/N Lamb. 81.82 Macquarie Hunter 79.17 Canowindra 16.88 Cowra 38.64 20.41 Ballimore 38.46 Newcastle 32.56 Southlakes 85.19 Westlakes 35.38 Woodberry 20.78 Raymond Terrace 30.10 Cobar 17.80 Wellington ‐ 13.41 Young ‐ 13.16 Wallsend ‐ 62.12 ‐ 14.89 Mudgee ‐ 25.81 Cardiff ‐ 17.24 Bathurst ‐ 14.60 Narromine ‐ 72.73 Kurrajong/Bilpin ‐ 62.69 Walgett ‐ 18.31 Warren 118.37 Forbes 100.00 Katoomba 109.77 Tullamore 244.44 Lithgow ‐ 100.00 7 9 82 55 87 63 22 53 76 66 24 47 91 84 27 84 62 36 65 87 49 42 13 77 48 22 67 116 130 117 225 150 108 231 383 196 100 172 185 196 126 171 124 137 147 193 133 142 236 2011/2012 0 6 61 71 78 40 52 66 25 40 50 46 72 43 45 91 88 90 13 93 36 88 52 25 31 138 160 124 255 531 236 213 126 146 143 118 228 194 107 255 270 179 117 207 248 149 279 116 278 2012/2013 ZONE Valley Rocks ZONE 1 2 Macquarie Bar West Toukley Kempsey Gosford Terrigal/Wamberal Gloucester Taree Wauchope NEW ENGLAND ZONE Old Gunnedah Inverell Moree Narrabri Lower Clarence CENTRAL COAST ZONE Tuggerah Lakes Woy Grafton Lismore Glenreagh Armidale Forster/Tuncurry Port Sth Stuarts Point Camden Haven Manilla REGION MID NTH COAST ZONE Quirindi Walcha Nambucca Richmond Woolgoolga Sawtell/Toormina Urunga REGION Curlewis Glen Innes Tamworth Wyong HUNTER Aberdeen NTH RIVERS Cessnock Branxton/Greta Ballina East Maitland Denman Kurri Bellinger Valley Maitland Evans Head Merriwa Muswellbrook Singleton 16 CHAMPIONSHIPS/COMPETITION

Firstly, I would like to thank the Championships Advisory Committee for all their assistance and hard work during the past season: Peter Barnes, Di Levy, Tim Batho, Cathy Eaton, Aino Matwisyk, Simon Nicola and Glen Richardson, who all contributed in the various areas of their expertise.

Our State Team selectors Kerry O’Keefe, Marian Bennett, Maria McConville and Greg Skinner and Trans Tasman selectors, Kirsten Crocker, Aino Matwisyk, Heather Mitchell and Maria McConville, all did a great job in selecting the best NSW teams possible.

Also thank you to all the state officials and parent helpers, as without your help we would not be able to conduct our state events so efficiently.

This was another season of “firsts” for LANSW, starting with the implementation of 8 regions instead of the traditional 5 regions. More regions used photofinish thereby creating electronic track records and even some Zone Championships had photofinish. Our photofinish system was used at the State Track & Field Championships for all track events on the warm-up track, whilst the SOPAC system was used on the main track. Manual records will still be maintained for championships where photofinish is not used. At the State Track & Field Championships we had 24 competitors in each event. There were 16 automatic qualifiers (first and second from the Region Championships) and then the athletes with the next 8 best clear final performances from all 8 regions were advised 3 days after region results had to be at the office that they could also compete at the State Championships. ‘Late Entries’ are now a well established part of our championships criteria, except of course for State Track & Field Championships. STATE CROSS COUNTRY/ROAD WALKS – WEST DAPTO 510 athletes competed at these championships and there were no entries taken on the day as entries closed the week before the championships. Entries were taken online or manually, by parents, and when entries had closed centres were advised of their entered runners/walkers. The colour coded courses were very well marked out and again there was no ‘walk the course’, with marshalls covering the whole course. The day was a warm winter’s day which made it a very enjoyable championship. Thank you to Wollongong Little Athletics and Kembla Joggers for your great assistance. TRANS TASMAN TRIALS – FLINDERS Lake Illawarra centre hosted the Trans Tasman Trials at Myimbarr Community Park on Sunday, 4 November. Being a ‘home tour’, 228 athletes from U11 and U12 age groups trialed, hoping to be selected in the New South Wales team to compete against the Auckland New Zealand team from 7 – 16 January 2013 in Sydney. The state officials conducted the events with their usual expertise and the state selectors selected a very competitive team. Thank you to all involved. STATE RELAYS – SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK ATHLETIC CENTRE Relays were again at SOPAC this season with 1330 teams entered, which was 74 teams more than last season. There were 719 teams entered on the juniors day (U8 – U11 years) Saturday 24 November and on seniors day (U12 – U17 years) Sunday 25 November there were 611 teams entered. We operated a fully timed program which worked well. The call room system was re-organised and there was a stand on the infield of the main track indicating to everyone in the grandstand the event that had to go to the call room, thus creating less announcements and enquiries at information as to which event we were up to. As photofinish was used again, many of last seasons first time electronic records were broken, in fact 15 track records plus 11 field records.

TRANS TASMAN CHALLENGE – SYDNEY On Sunday, 13 January 2013 the Trans Tasman Challenge was held at Campbelltown, against the Auckland team. Our team of U11 and U12 athletes competed well, achieving many PB’s and were successful in winning the Challenge Cup. ZONE/REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS – VARIOUS VENUES Twenty-one of our 24 zones were conducted prior to Christmas and the remaining three zones were conducted after Christmas. All zones had different track and weather conditions but all the qualifiers enjoyed their competition and looked forward to the regions which were all held by 24 February. This 17 CHAMPIONSHIPS/COMPETITION

season, zones had different numbers of athletes qualifying to region depending on the number of zones in their region, as all regions had fields of 16 in both track and field events. Special thanks to our 24 zone coordinators who organised their Zone Championships and also the 8 region coordinators who organised the Region Championships. Also thanks to the many host centres, as there is a lot of work needed to prepare their ground and equipment to Zone and Region Championship level, plus provide a well stocked canteen and bbq. Regions were conducted at Taree - Region 1, Glendale - Region 2, Dubbo - Region 3, Wagga Wagga - Region 4, Narrabeen - Region 5, Blacktown - Region 6, Campbelltown - Region 7 and Region 8 was conducted at Sylvania Waters. The Meet Manager program was used by all regions. Thanks also to the 7 LANSW directors who were board representatives at the 8 regions. STATE MULTI EVENT – ORANGE Many hours were spent in the organisation of this season’s State Multi-Event, hosted by the Orange centre on 2 and 3 March. The number of athletes entered via the online system was 750. Thanks to all the state officials who overcame the rain, wet ground, then the wind and finally the beautiful sunshine. Thank you also to all the parents who assisted at all the events when help was needed. This was the first Multi-Event where there were no centres rostered to assist. STATE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS – SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK ATHLETIC CENTRE The State Championships started on Friday evening 22 March at 5pm for 4 hours and continued over the weekend of 23 and 24 March. Again photofinish was used for all track events on both the main track and the warm-up track and the EDM’s were used on some of our throwing events. This was the first championship where we had a fully timed program plus listed call room times. This meant that there were no announcements made regarding events. The feedback from athletes and parents supported this new method so therefore it will be continued for next season’s State Track & Field Championships.

The 24 athletes in each event provided a programming challenge but the additional athletes certainly enjoyed their state experience. Our state selectors had a great challenge in selecting the NSW team of 22 U13 athletes to compete in Canberra at the Australian Little Athletics Championships on 28 April. The 4 U15 Multi-Event athletes were selected by their results at the State Multi-Event at Orange earlier in the month. Congratulations to everyone involved. Medal presentations were faster and it was pleasing to see our group of 35 AWD athletes competing in their 3 invitation events of 100 metres, discus and long jump on the Sunday. AUSTRALIAN LITTLE ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS - CANBERRA The New South Wales team spirit created by our team management is something to see. The competition on 28 April was strong as one would expect at a national championship, but at the conclusion of the day, it was great news at the closing ceremony when New South Wales was successful in winning the U13 point score. Congratulations to our athletes, thank you parents for the support you have given and special congratulations to our team management. CHAMPIONSHIPS ADVISORY COMMITTEE This past season the committee has met on 10 occasions. Also all throwing implements were weighed prior to all championships plus putting up the new shelving in our storage area at SOPAC. Some of the committee also helped with the set up at State Relays and the State Track and Field Championships. We are now all experts at putting up tents and cabanas in the rain, heat and wind. Thanks to Holroyd centre for allowing us to conduct our meetings in their club house. It was once again confirmed that our AWD Little Athletes would again be invited to compete at our State Track & Field Championships in the 100 metres, discus and long jump in the same age groupings U9/U10, U11/U12, U13/U14 and U15/U17. The stocktake of all our our equipment stored at SOPAC was another activity of the Championships Advisory Committee for this season plus getting it all ready for transporting it to Trans Tasman Trials, Trans Tasman Challenge, Regions and State Multi-Event. Heather Mitchell CHAMPIONSHIPS/COMPETITION DIRECTOR

18 COMPETITION & VOLUNTEERS

Following the LANSW (Little Athletics NSW) staff restructure in June 2011, staff members were each given individual areas of responsibility. I was appointed as the inaugural competition & volunteer coordinator after 25 years in the role of administration manager. The competition & volunteer coordinator is responsible for the organisation of all LANSW competition and major events and for ensuring effective recruitment, training and management of volunteers. I believe that it will and has benefitted our members now that there are staff members who can concentrate on one area of Little Athletics.

CHAMPIONSHIPS State Cross Country/Road Walks – 1 July 2012 – West Dapto The 2012 event was held at a purpose built cross country venue – the Kembla Joggers Cross Country Park, West Dapto. The majority of entries were taken online, with a handful of manual entries received. Of the 605 athletes who entered (from 84 centres), 510 actually took part with 450 athletes completing the run courses and 101 athletes in the road walks. Some athletes competed in both events on the day.

Trans Tasman Trials – Flinders A total of 228 athletes entered this event for U11 and U12 athletes. The break up of ages was: 60 from the U11 Boys; 60 from the U11 Girls; 54 from U12 Boys and 54 from U12 Girls. These athletes represented 72 centres.

State Relays – Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre We were extremely pleased with the large number of teams entering (1330). There were 719 teams entered on Saturday for the Juniors (U8 –U11) and 611 teams on the Sunday for the Seniors (U12 – U17). The number of centres who took part was 60, which is fairly consistent with other years.

Trans Tasman Challenge – Campbelltown Our team of U11 and U12 athletes competed against the children’s team from Auckland on Sunday, 13 January 2013 at Campbelltown Athletics Centre. Thanks to the Campbelltown Little Athletics centre for their assistance prior to and during this carnival.

Zone/Region Championships – various venues There were 24 zone championships held during the 2012/2013 season, with 21 of these being held prior to the Christmas break. The new eight region structure commenced in the 2012/2013 season. Regions with three zones had the first four places; regions with four zones had the first three places and regions with two zones had the first six place automatically progress through to the respective regions. This made up 12 athletes in each event. Then an additional four next best qualifiers from across the zone results, also progressed to region, making a total of up to 16 athletes in each event at each region. There were 15 state records broken at regional carnivals.

State Multi Event – Orange Over 700 athletes from 103 Little Athletics centres competed at the State Multi-Event, which was held at Waratah Sports Field, Orange. Thank you to the committee of Orange Little Athletics centre for the preparation of the venue, as well as the assistance over the weekend.

State Track & Field Championships – Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre A total of up to 24 athletes were in each event. This came from the new progression from region to state whereby the first two places at each of the eight regions automatically progressed through. Then the next best eight qualifiers from across all regions were also added. Thanks to Craig Scott for his assistance in determining these additional qualifiers. A total of 54 state records were broken, 47 on the track and seven in the field. 29 of these state records were submitted to Little Athletics Australia for an Australian Best Performance.

19 COMPETITION & VOLUNTEERS

ONLINE OFFICIALS ASSESSMENT The online officials assessment was launched at the 2012 Annual Conference. It has been very successful with 561 people registering to do their D Grade and C Grade theory exams online. A total of 1648 exams have been attempted.

ACCREDITED OFFICIALS/EXAMS Below is a table showing the recent history of exams undertaken in the various grades.

SEASON D Grade C Grade B Grade A Grade Total 2012/2013 728 538 3 0 1269 2011/2012 404 154 11 1 570 2010/2011 84 144 3 0 231 2009/2010 62 98 12 0 172 2008/2009 228 59 16 3 306 2007/2008 89 108 18 2 217 2006/2007 269 133 13 0 415 2005/2006 172 148 9 0 329

LANSW Nominated Officials A total of 153 nominated officials are on our books at the end of the 2012/2013 season.

GETTING STARTED (old BEIC) The course is aimed at people who are brand new to the sport or who are intending to help out for the first time (also age managers). We had 48 people from four centres complete this short 2 ½ course last season.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR This award was first introduced in the 2001/2002 season. From that season until 2007/2008, one winner was presented. From the 2008/2009 season, it was decided to present an award to both male and female volunteers of the year. The winners of the Volunteer of the Year for 2011/2012 were Sally Richardson (Northern Suburbs LAC) and Kevin Fisher (Parramatta LAC). Both of whom are very worthy winners.

Di Levy COMPETITION & VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

20 OFFICIALS

The following is a summary of some aspects of the 2012/13 season.

OFFICIALS ADVISORY COMMITTEE I would like to thank the members of the Officials Advisory Committee for their help and support during this season i.e. Heather Mitchell, Diane Levy, Lynne Whatman, Ron Daniel, Michael Gray and Les Kirkland. These officials have given up their time to review a number of aspects of the officials program this year.

APPOINTMENTS PANEL Thank you to the Appointments Panel of Kim Burton, Neil Sandall and Heather Mitchell for their assistance with the appointment of LANSW Officials to state carnivals in 2012/13.

OFFICIALS SEMINARS Officials seminars play an important part in the education and training of officials. The seminars should explain how to apply the rules in addition to outlining the rules. Zone coordinators have prime responsibility to organise the seminars. Where practicable, accredited LANSW officials can be provided to assist with the presentation of the seminars.

I would like to thank the zone coordinators who arranged official’s seminars during this season and also thank the presenters.

LANSW KEY OFFICIALS SEMINAR A seminar was held in September for LANSW Officials, key officials from zones and regions and others. Agenda items included:- • Adoption of standard rules (LANSW started using standard rules from September 2012) • Rule changes approved at 2012 Conference • Changes to procedures • Wrap-up of previous year’s championship carnivals • Workshop discussing scenarios • General discussion of officiating matters.

Field recording and EDM training sessions were held in the morning prior to the seminar.

ACCREDITATION The accreditation process was updated. This included a more prescriptive list of items for supervisors to consider.

The online exam system finally went live this season. This has allowed potential officials to do their D and C Grade theory exams when they want to, without leaving home. A post implementation review of the process involved in the introduction of this system and improvements made to the accreditation process is being undertaken.

Thank you to all the centres and zone coordinators who encouraged parents to obtain accreditations.

OFFICIALS Volunteers are the backbone of Little Athletics; they fulfil a whole range of duties from the athletic officials on the field to the equipment officers, recorders etc. Thank you to all the people who have given up their time and volunteered to officiate this season. Without your assistance none of the Little Athletics carnivals can happen.

21 OFFICIALS

Changes to the structure of some major carnivals this season meant that additional officials were required. I would like to thank the dedicated band of officials (LANSW nominated officials) who regularly officiate at the major carnivals. As we do not have sufficient LANSW officials to cover all positions we have to allocate duties to centres. I thank the centres and officials who fulfilled the duties allocated to them.

At the State Multi-Event we did not allocate duties to centres but instead asked for parents to volunteer on the day to officiate for shorter periods. I thank those parents who answered the call and helped make that carnival a success.

CARNIVALS The following is a table of the number of positions filled by LANSW Nominated Officials and allocated to centres at LANSW carnivals:-

Carnival LANSW Officials Centre Allocation (positions) 2012 Cross Country 53 Trans Tasman Trials 66 State Relays 88(Sat) 87(Sun) 94(Sat) 93(Sun) Trans Tasman Challenge 74 State Multi-Event 72 State Track and Field 101(Fri) 124(Sat) 129(Sun) 80(Sat) 79(Sun) 96(Sun)

Peter Barnes OFFICIALS DIRECTOR

22 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

COACHING & DEVELOPMENT Darren Wensor, Alvin Umadhay, Cheryl Webb

This report is for the period 1 April 2012 to 30 March 2013 unless otherwise stated.

Olympic fever hits the 2012/2013 season and what a big year it was for the coaching and development team! Last season saw: the Olympics fall “slap-bang” in the middle of our school visit program which assisted in promotion; there was an increase in number of coaching clinics conducted; and more ITC (Introduction to Coaching) participants and courses were presented. These were just some of the highlights. The aim now is to continue with the momentum and increase the opportunities for everyone to become involved in our coaching and development programs.

The camps and clinics program in 2012/13 continued to be well attended and overall a great achievement. The aim is to provide members a unique opportunity that centres may not be able to offer. Many clinics also provide a “come and try” opportunity for non-members, giving everyone the chance to “give it a go”. In total, 1302 young athletes participated in a LANSW camp or clinic.

LANSW SKILLS CLINICS During 2012/13 23 skills clinics were held (12 in 2011/12) throughout NSW. These clinics were open to registered and non-registered athletes and were promoted as “come and try” clinics. A total of 934 athletes participated in a skills clinic (506 in 2011/12).

Last season the clinic program introduced 3 changes: 1. Rebranding 2. $5 cash rebate to centres 3. Where possible substituting long jump and shot put for triple jump and javelin

Rebranding In an attempt to clearly identify the content of the clinics, we rebranded the clinics to “Little Athletics Skills Clinics”, (previously named “School Holiday Coaching Clinics”). The reasoning for the name change (after lots of feedback from parents) was: • To highlight that these clinics focussed on skills • To not be limited to school holidays

$5 Cash Rebate A $5 cash rebate was given to the host centre for every child that attended the clinic. This incentive was introduced to entice centres to be a clinic host, to encourage centres to actively promote the clinic, and also to serve as a financial reward for hosting the clinic. Rebates for last season’s hosts varied from $100- $400 and feedback from the centres was very positive. This initiative will continue for next season.

Event Substitution In an attempt to provide more age specific learning opportunities, a few of the skills clinics substituted long jump and shot put with triple jump and javelin. This was very well received from the participants, parents and centres. However, this option is very much dependent upon the number of ‘older’ athletes registering for the clinic. For most clinics we break up the participants into age brackets: younger (U9-U10); middle (U11-U12); and older (U13+). We try to ensure participant numbers per group is relatively the same. In doing so, if the opportunity for event substitution is possible, this option is taken.

CHRISTMAS CAMP The 2012 Christmas Camp was again held at Blue Gum Lodge, Springwood and was open to LANSW registered athletes in the U9-U15 age groups. A total of 59 athletes attended the camp (79 attended in 23 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

2011). This camp is always held the full weekend prior to Christmas (for a variety of reasons). This year the decrease in numbers can be attributed to the fact that the camp concluded only two days before Christmas.

This year also saw Dancefever Australia conduct a boot camp style activity in the afternoon and a Saturday night disco. This was well received by the participants (and camp supervisors).

SPEED FOR SPORT CLINIC 2012 saw the “Speed for Sport Clinic” being held in Milton/Ulladulla. This clinic preceded the LANSW AGM/ Conference. A total of ten athletes registered for the clinic (96 in 2011). This dramatic drop in participant numbers was primarily due to timing. The AGM/Conference is always held in the third full weekend in July which generally falls at the end of school holidays. Thus, the clinic is conducted during the last Friday of holiday period and held during the day. This time around the AGM date fell outside the school holidays and had to be conducted late on the Friday afternoon, after school. This was not an attractive option.

This year will be the same issue with timing so we have decided to conduct the “Desire to Inspire” visits with the local and surrounding schools in lieu of the speed clinic (this clinic will be reintroduced once it can be conducted during the school holidays).

NORTH WEST SUPER CLINIC This clinic was again conducted in Tamworth as a partnership arrangement between Little Athletics NSW and NSW Sport and Recreation. The 2012 North West Athletics Super clinic was the ninth year of this partnership between the two associations, which continues to be strong. The clinic was again open to both registered and non-registered athletes. Forty athletes attended the clinic (36 in 2011). After discussions with NSW Sport & Recreation, various changes were made from previous years: • The clinic was held at the start of the LANSW season, on 20-21 October, rather than July. • The clinic was hosted by Tamworth LAC at their venue, which allowed access to equipment and purposely built fields rather than just school grounds. • The clinic was used as training opportunities for centre/local coaches.

Last year also saw a timing issue where the clinic was conducted just after the NSW All Schools, which detracted some participants. It is suggested that the clinic be conducted prior to All Schools and be promoted as extra training before the championship.

2012 MULTI EVENT COACHING CLINIC The 2012 LANSW Multi-Event Coaching Clinic was held on 27 & 28 October and hosted by Orange LAC. Thirty-six athletes attended the clinic which was conducted by three Little Athletics NSW coaches.

SUPER COACHING CLINIC AT SOPAC The 2013 LANSW Super Clinic was conducted on 14 & 15 January at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre. The clinic was open to all registered Little Athletes in the U12 – U17 age groups. A record number of 83 athletes registered for this clinic, with 15 coaches conducting activities over the two days.

INTRODUCTION TO COACHING COURSES (ITC) In 2012, 14 ITC courses were completed (2 in 2011), attracting a total of 168 participants (60 in 2011). This is a great result as compared to the previous year, as the ITC is fantastic beginner coaching course for age managers, parents and volunteers involved in Little Athletics. There are plans to expand the ITC courses further, with wider coverage across NSW to give participants more opportunity to attend.

SCHOOL VISITS 2012, an Olympic year, was bound to be a ‘big one’ for school visits. This year saw the largest amount of school visit requests (available records date back to 1997). A total of 79 centres requested school visits (55 24 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

in 2011). Ten centres cancelled all or part of their school visits (nine in 2011), leaving 69 centres officially participating in school visits; the highest number since 2002 & 2004. A total of 45,000 students were contacted over three months, from 221 schools (38,000 students from 165 schools in 2011).

The 2012 LANSW School Visit Program was extended to cover all of term 3. Visits took place from Tuesday, 24 July 2012 and concluded on the last day of term 3, Friday, 21 September 2012. As in previous years, early school visits, as requested, were conducted on behalf of Trangie LAC, Warren LAC and Narrabri LAC (reformed centre). It was decided that Chantelle Grills join this tour to witness and experience school visits, as well as meet with centre committee members.

Clinton Gray from LAVic also travelled to Sydney to observe a day of the school visit presentations. This was a direct request from LAVic as they were considering conducting these types of presentations for the first time. Clinton spent a day with Alvin Umadhay representing Sutherland LAC.

Two elite athletes made appearances during the school visit program: Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Jake Stein. Melinda’s availability was limited to the visiting schools within the North Sydney/northern beaches area due to other commitments. The centres Melinda represented were (as per last year): Wakehurst LA Club and Mosman LAC. Jake represented the Warradale LAC.

LAPS (Little Athletics Programs in Schools) For the purpose of this report, LAPS is covered for the 2012 school calendar year (February 2012 to December 2012). The statistics below shows the comparison between 2011 and 2012.

2012 2011 Schools who booked directly 41 46 Schools booked in Hunter/Newcastle region 10 8 Schools booked in Northern Rivers 6 8 Schools requesting coaches for School Carnivals 2 3 LAPS conducted through School Visit Program 16 18 Days LAPS was conducted over 99 88 Days affected by wet weather 28 26 Days rescheduled due to wet weather 18 14 Days not rescheduled due to wet weather 10 12 Number of schools who rebooked from previous year 19 33 Number of new schools participating 22 13 Number of employed LAPS coaches 12 15 Total number of schools participating 57 64 Total number of students participating 38,052 45,025

2013 saw the introduction of a mentoring program for new LAPS coaches. New coaches are taken through an interview process and once accepted are then required to undertake 20 hours mentoring with one of our mentor coaches. We currently have five mentor coaches employed. So far we have had four new coaches come through the mentor program.

OTHER INITIATIVES INVOLVING THE COACHING & DEVELOPMENT TEAM Lithgow Flash Lithgow LAC requested representation from LANSW staff at this event to assist in promoting the sport. This was seen as another great opportunity to provide a service to members and also community support/ service. Many Lithgow Little Athletes were involved and athletes came as far as the central coast to compete in the junior races. It was decided that a “come and try” area would be organised with LANSW staff conducting the activities. 25 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

Coach of the Year To promote, encourage and reward quality Little Athletics coaching, Little Athletics NSW and the Australian Track & Field Coaches Association NSW Branch cooperated for the 15th successive year to organise the Little Athletics Coach of the Year Award. Congratulations to Wollongong coach Ron Thompson who was presented with the award at the State Track & Field Championships in March.

JETS (Junior Encouragement & Talent Squad) The 2012-2013 JETS program proved the most successful so far since its introduction four seasons ago. The program boasted more than 190 members, the highest number of members since the program’s inception.

Highlights of the 2012-13 program included: • Six JETS Coaching Clinics (including the first JETS Clinic to be held at Wollongong) attracting well over 300 registrations. • JETS members receiving discounts to attend some non-JETS clinics. • The JETS Performance Coaching Camp held 12-14 July at the Sydney Academy of Sport & Recreation, Narrabeen. • The introduction a monthly JETS members’ newsletter “Flying Start” and a JETS members-only section of the website. • JETS members invited to act as junior volunteers at the Sydney Track Classic. • The introduction of a number of new JETS coaches.

2013 State Team Congratulations to the 2013 NSW State Team which won the Trevor Billingham trophy for the Under 13 point score at the ASICS Australian Little Athletics Championships on Sunday, 28 April in Canberra.

Some stand-out team statistics include: • The day saw the NSW team members achieved 16 personal best performances. • In the 33 events on offer, the NSW team achieved 24 medals (9 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze). • The team achieved 49 Top 8 placing’s. • The team achieved one ABP (Australian Best Performance) and one electronic championship record.

What a wonderful performance by a fantastic NSW team.

We would like to say many thanks to Sharyn Dickson and Mandy Robertson who joined staff members Darren Wensor, Alvin Umadhay and Cheryl Webb to prepare and manage the team.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY JOINT VENTURE Nick Bromley

Greater Western Sydney (GWS) currently has a population of just over two million which is expected to reach three million by 2036 and will represent 50 per cent of Sydney’s total population. By 2051, the GWS region is forecast to have a population of four million out of the total Sydney population of seven million. Recent figures have shown that Greater Western Sydney is where young couples are looking to reside begin their families. (37.3% of the people are aged 24 years and under).

As a result of these significant statistics, the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Joint Venture program holds an important part in developing the future of track and field in NSW through this whole of sport approach.

The GWS Development Joint Venture program is in its second year of operation and is gaining momentum with its programs jointly managed through both Little Athletics NSW and Athletics NSW. Dual registration is 26 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

an important facet of the Joint Venture initiative and positive growth has been seen in the GWS area in dual registrations, as well as overall memberships in the area. The below graphs illustrates the statistics for the season:

Greater Western Sydney – Dual Registrations

14% positive growth in Dual Registrations since 2011-12

Little Athletics NSW Season Registrations (GWS Area)

Centres in the GWS area have had a 638 participation increase from 2011/12. This is an 11.80% increase.

COMPETITION GWS Summer Series Two ANSW permitted meets took place at Blacktown International Sports Park (BISP) in the 2012/13 season. This enabled first time dual registered athletes to have basic exposure of what senior competition entails. Athletes’ ages varied from Little Athlete to masters categories, ranging across all abilities.

COACHING CLINICS The GWS coaching and development officer hosted six clinics throughout the year which were offered to varied ages of Little Athletics and dual registered athletes. In a new initiative, our focus was more on utilising elite athletes as guest coaches, as well as providing some of the best coaches in NSW. This enabled some of those elite athletes to gain valuable coaching advice during these clinics and become accredited with “Recommended Prior Learning Level 1” through the Athletics Australia Coaching Education program. Over 850 athletes attended the clinics which was an increase from 2011.

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GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY COMMUNITY EVENTS The Annual Blacktown Sports Fest Expo was held at BISP during the August registration period for Little Athletics. This enabled the development staff to display general skills and demonstrations to over 400 members of the general public who attended the Sports Fest. This was also a valuable opportunity to promote their Little Athletics centre with attendees at the event.

Another regular event is the “Panthers on The Prowl”. Panthers on the Prowl is a multisport day aimed at primary schools around the Penrith area. The day provides primary schools with the opportunity to partake in several 20 minute sporting sessions. Newly appointed Athletics NSW Development Officer, Lisa Corrigan, helped with the day which saw over 750 children take part in the workshop at Penrith Stadium. Track and field was one of ten sporting organisations involved on the day.

SCHOOL CARNIVALS - at Blacktown International Sports Park (BISP) Over 35,000 school children participated in athletics at BISP, through individual school carnivals, zone carnivals, regional carnivals and special events, during the April – August period in 2012. This provided a direct marketing channel to respective sports coordinators; PE teaches and school coaches for our development programs. The development programs aim to increase the contact database this season, with the BISP athletic precinct totally booked out until September 2013 with school carnivals and athletics events.

HUNTER REGIONAL AREA Scott Westcott

The year ending in April 2013 completes four years and four months in the position for Scott Westcott and was successful in many ways. The last 12 months saw new initiatives such as the Fernleigh 15 take off and key events like the Schools Knockout, Festival of Sport Coaching Clinics and Hunter Track Classic continue to develop. This report will outline the projects undertaken in the previous 12 months and also highlight the challenges that face the area for continued growth to occur.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES The strategic objectives for the Hunter Regional Coordinator have remained the same for the past four years: 1. To use a number of strategies to increase overall registrations and dual registrations across both Little Athletics centres and ANSW clubs. 2. To provide support in establishing a sustainable winter and summer competition. 3. To work with local coaches in delivering the LAPS (Little Athletics Program for Schools) across the region and a fourth objective has evolved during 2012. 4. To develop strategies and events which engage the recreational running community.

PROJECTS 2012 Winter Series Two of the three part Winter Athletics Series were held at Glendale while one meet was taken to Mingara. Now in its fourth year, the winter series provides opportunities for Australian team members to achieve pre-departure standards, senior athletes an avenue to compete over winter and school aged athletes exposure to winter competitions. There were 260 athletes across the three meets culminating in an all age carnival known as the ‘NIB Games’ held in July which had 122 athletes.

The Winter Series will run again in 2013.

Schools Knockout The schools knockout is a terrific tool that can be used to connect with secondary schools and students. In 2011, the Hunter Round had 18 teams and this expanded to 32 teams and 193 athletes in 2012! The 28 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

best performing winning team would have finished 3rd once results were combined with the SOPAC round which was held a week later.

A Central Coast round was also scheduled for early September but had to be abandoned due to lack of interest.

The Hunter round will be further consolidated on 28 August 2013 and I am hoping to introduce a Primary School concept to pilot in the Hunter in September.

COACHING CLINICS There were four coaching clinics held in the region during 2012. 1. The Hunter Festival of Sport Clinic is part of a two week-long multi-sport festival held in the July Holidays. This clinic was held over two days, one day at Glendale and the next at Mingara. There were 90 athletes participating and ten coaches employed. 2. Two centre based clinics occurred in the October holidays with two coaches attending each one at Raymond Terrace and Port Stephens. 3. The Hunter Track Classic Clinic expanded in its third year and received terrific support from participants and marquee athletes including Tamsyn Manou and Jenail Hayes (USA) and 115 athletes aged 8-17 years attended.

BEIC or GETTING STARTED COURSES An effort has been made to increase the use of the regional position to run these courses leading into the 2012/2013. Courses have been run at four centres in the Hunter, Port Hunter and Lake Macquarie zones.

LAPS (Little Athletics Program for Schools) This program continues to be in demand from Primary Schools in the area, looking to further the athletics skills of its students and staff. Ten schools made bookings in 2012 with a total of 22 coaching sessions and seven coaches used. This program is expected to grow with targeted promotions and collaboration with the After Schools Communities. To date six schools have booked in programs for 2013 with five coaches being offered casual employment.

SCHOOLS VISITS This is probably the most powerful recruitment tool that Little Athletics has leading into each new season. A genuine effort was made to work with centres to visit as many schools as possible from July to September. Visits were conducted on behalf of twenty centres in the area; over 31 days; and contacted approximately 9000 students. It was thought this could be a way to address the static and declining registrations experienced by several centres in 2011/2012.

NSW ALL SCHOOLS MULTI-EVENT AND HUNTER ALL SCHOOLS This event aims to be a stepping stone to the NSW All Schools and to ANSW clubs in the Hunter. In 2012 an invitation was sent to all the participants of the Little Athletics NSW Multi-Event resulting in a spike in the registrations for the junior divisions of the multi-event. Overall there were 112 athletes taking part in the multi and individual events. The event is at a cross roads as the full heptathlon and decathlons decline but the one day format with supporting individual events has attracted increased numbers of participants.

COACH DEVELOPMENT Former ATFCA branch administrators Yvonne and David Puller have been outstanding in working with Sports Education and Learning (SEAL) in rolling out the new coaching framework in the Hunter. Level 1 and 2 courses have been held in May and September with more planned. The Regional Coordinator was involved in creating the alliance between the parties as there were no regular opportunities for coach education in 2010 and 2011.

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In addition a four-part coaching workshop was delivered by Max Debnam and hosted by Athletics NSW. It received 15 participants and was successful in improving practical competencies.

TRACK DUALS The track duals concept was presented at the Little Athletics NSW conference in July 2012. Several expressions of interest were received. A trial was hosted by Orange Little Athletics, with Lisa Corrigan and Scott delivering the concept. ANSW will continue to work with LAC’s to make this a viable alternative to the usual club/centre competition model.

THE FERNLEIGH 15 This road racing event was the first venture for Scott into the fun run/recreational running community. The run concept utilised the recently completed Fernleigh bike path built on the iconic Fernleigh railway line linking Adamstown, Newcastle to Belmont in Lake Macquarie. A partnership was established with local fun run and triathlon organiser Paul Humphreys and Athletics NSW, with Scott as event organiser. The event attracted 901 entrants in its first year, ensuring its success.

THE HUNTER TRACK CLASSIC The 4th edition of the Hunter Track Classic was held on Saturday, 2 February amongst some challenging conditions. This was the 2nd year the event had received National Series status from Athletics Australia, meaning it was part of the series. The success of the 2013 event can again be directly attributed to the level of local support it receives; local business partners, widespread media coverage, officials and volunteer involvement, athletes, coaches, ANSW clubs and Little Athletics centres. Scott was assisted by administration support totalling 60 hours which was crucial in running a smooth event.

Hunter Track Classic Statistics • 280 athletes took part • 60+ athletes were from interstate • 7 international athletes (USA, NZ, UK and PNG) • 70+ Athletics NSW officials ran the event • 60+ uniform volunteers assisted • 115 Little Athletes attended the All Stars Clinic on Sunday morning • 7 Little Athletics Teams contested the Australian Little Athletics Team Challenge, this included ACT, Tasmania and 5 regional teams. • Over 200 viewers on the livestream which was supported by AthsVic TV • Comprehensive print coverage in the Maitland Mercury, Newcastle Herald, Newcastle Star and Run for Your Life magazine • Online coverage on several athletics websites including Runners Tribe, Inside Athletics, Athletics NSW and Athletics Australia • Comprehensive coverage by NBN Television including a 30 second TVC • Radio coverage increased with 2HD and local and Central Coast FM radio stations pre meet

CHALLENGES FOR 2013 The Hunter development officer project has shown that the initial impact of a set of strategies sees an increase in club and centre involvement. In 2011/2012 a noticeable plateau in dual registrations was observed. For this reason a specific effort has been made address this problem through: • Increased number of school visits • Increased number of centre visits • Strengthening the pathway from school athletics to centre/club athletics • New competition initiatives such as track duals which is specific to dual-aged athletes to be piloted in selected clubs

The 2013 numbers support an increase in participation in dual registrations. It appears that some of these strategies have had some impact with Port Stephens centre growing from 120 to over 200. A careful 30 COACHING & DEVELOPMENT

analysis of the 2012/2013 registrations may shed further light onto the impact of the above strategies.

Changes in no. of Dual Registered Athletes in Hunter ANSW Athletics Clubs 2008-2013

THANK YOU In conclusion, many thanks to our casual coaches who have supported the coaching & development staff over the last twelve months without whom many of the programs and services would be impossible to conduct.

A special thankyou to all our guest athletes who have taken time out to support Little Athletics by giving back to the sport and inspiring the next generation athletes.

Thank you to all the centres, centre representatives/volunteers and zone coordinators who have assisted or involved themselves with various development initiatives.

Finally we would like to say a big thank you to the LANSW Board of Management and fellow staff members for all of their support and assistance over the past twelve months.

Nick Bromley would like to take this opportunity to thank the Australian Sports Commission and all involved with the Joint Venture program for their continuing support of this important program. In addition, he would like to thank respective centre/club presidents, coaches, administrators and athletes that have helped this Joint Venture movement to its current success, and to the staff at Little Athletics NSW, Athletics NSW and Athletics Australia for their valued assistance.

Darren Wensor & Alvin Umadhay COACHING & DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS

Cheryl Webb COACHING & DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATOR

Nick Bromley GWS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Scott Westcott REGIONAL ATHLETICS COORDINATOR

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