UPDATE FROM THE CEO

Hi Everyone,

As Regional Victorian clubs are back on the water and Metro Melb clubs are awaiting for exemptions to be made to the Public Health Orders to enable facilities and equipment to be retrieved for contactless recreation, I thought it prudent to reach out.

I’ve been fortunate to engage with the community via a few discussions this week. For those in Melb, now having endured the most days on the planet in lockdown, emotions are coming to the surface; whether that be the young, elite athletes fearing their representative dreams are slipping away as they cant get on the water or those lashing out regarding the Gov’t Directions on vaccinations or general comments on the season ahead, it’s been an enlightening week.

Impact of COVID-19 on Community Sport.

As you will be well aware, COVID-19 has continued to wreak havoc on community sport in Australia over the past 18 months. This latest report from the Australian Sports Foundation highlights that community clubs all over Australia are facing unprecedented challenges, with more than 1 in 10 clubs at risk of going under during this ongoing crisis.

The report highlights serious and urgent challenges impacting community sports clubs in the areas of financial instability, declining participation and declining volunteering. The report makes it clear that sports clubs are struggling financially; not only is community sport largely shut down but traditional fundraising methods are also hampered or impossible due to Covid restrictions.

If you have time, we encourage you to join the upcoming ASF 45min webinar https://covid.sportsfoundation.org.au/webinarregistration where the ASF team of Sports Fundraising experts will walk you through some fundraising ideas through COVID and beyond. The webinar will cover in detail:

· Real examples of online fundraising, methods and results

· Tax-deductible fundraising and what you can raise funds for

· Fundraising through cancelled seasons and registration fees

JEFF SYKES ROWING CENTRE UPDATE

ROWING COMMUNITY PAYS IT FORWARD - $1.26M RAISED TO DATE

Rowing Geelong is pleased to announce that $1.26M towards the $1.5M Jeff Sykes Rowing Centre has now been raised, thanks to your generosity. It’s heart-warming that this fantastic school rowing facility is 100% community funded to date. 

The project has also reached the ‘lock up’ construction milestone to enable internal fit-out to commence and scaffolding has been removed to reveal the building’s lettering and iconic Geelong colour scheme!

The Jeff Sykes Rowing Centre will honour the enormous contribution Geelong’s Jeff Sykes has made to our sport.  For many of us, the name ‘Sykes’ is synonymous with rowing. Jeff is delighted to see the building take shape and has shared the following:

“The concept of a school rowing facility on the Barwon has been a dream of mine for many years and I’m so proud to see it coming to fruition. Thank you, Rowing Geelong and the many generous people who have helped to make the project possible.  I look forward to the Centre becoming a great asset to rowing in Geelong, both for young rowers and for hosting regattas on our beautiful Barwon.” Jeff Sykes.

Positioned alongside The Geelong College and Geelong Grammar rowing facilities on the Barwon River waterfront, the Centre will make the sport accessible to a broader cohort of students that do not currently have their own facility in the rowing precinct.

We hope that by setting up and managing the new Centre, we will relieve many of the barriers schools currently face when considering their own rowing program. We are in discussion with multiple schools including some which would otherwise not have the resources to offer rowing to their students.

With the 21/22 season upon us, we are working hard to deliver the facility to our rowing community.  Your ongoing help with our fundraising efforts is greatly appreciated. Tax deductible donations can be made through the Australian Sports Foundation via https://asf.org.au/projects/rowing-geelong/ or contact Sam Elliott on president@rowinggeelong.asn.au 

Every dollar counts!

Thank you,

Rowing Geelong

ACTIVE KM CHALLENGE

We are approaching the last week in the RV Active Kilometre Challenge with the event finishing on the 10^th October. We encourage you all to keep being active and clocking up those kms! Who is going to win the overall prize from Rowhaus? Which club or school will be having a training session with one of the Rowhaus coaches? Stay Active! #vicrowingtogether

Notice of AGM

Rowing Victoria is pleased to advise that the 145^th Annual General Meeting will be conducted online on the 31^st October 2021.

Additional information including the agenda is available via the following link

https://www.rowingvictoria.asn.au/events/114103/

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Call for Board Nominations

Rowing Victoria is seeking nominations for two Board Positions. The nomination form is available on the following link

https://www.rowingvictoria.asn.au/events/114104/

must be submitted by the 10^th October 2021, and nominees as well as those nominating and seconding the nominations must have current state memberships. Please liaise with your Club or School Administrations to clarify your membership status.

RV Annual Award Nominations - CLOSING SOON

This is your last chance to nominate someone for the RV Annual Award with nominations closing next Friday October 8th.

Nominations for the following awards can be made HERE

- Club Person of the Year

- Coach of the Year

- School Person of the Year

- Regatta of the Year

- The William Waterfield Outstanding Service Award

- The Kath Bennett Community Service Award

- The Bob Duncan Award

- The Susie Palfreyman Award

NATIONAL HEAD OF THE YARRA IS CANCELLED FOR 2021.

TO BE REPLACED WITH A COVID-SAFE VICTORIAN-ONLY 8’S CHALLENGE EVENT.

CELEBRATING ROWING VICTORIA'S LOCAL LEGENDS

The Victorian Rowing Community has many wonderful people within it. If you know an amazing perosn in your club or school that you think should be profiled. Please contact jen@rowingvictoria.asn.au 

This weeks Local Legend is HANNAH EVERY - HALL

Change Our Game Scholarship Grants Program

The Change Our Game Scholarship Grants Program provides funding for women to access professional learning and development opportunities that enhance skills in sport and recreation leadership and management.

Women working or volunteering in sport and active recreation in Victoria are eligible for funding, but must be nominated by recognised state sporting association, state sport and active recreation body, local government authority or regional sports assembly.  

Applications to Round 1 of the 2021-22 program open on Tuesday 28 September and close at 5pm, Monday 25 October 2021.  

For more information please visit the Change Our Game website or email changeourgame@sport.vic.gov.au.

2022 Women Leaders in Sport

Grant applications are now open

Today applications open for individuals and organisations to apply for a grant through the Women Leaders in Sport (WLIS) program.

This is an exciting opportunity as these funded projects can help enhance workplace cultures and support our emerging and established female leaders.

We’ve also created a marketing toolkit which can be accessed via the WLIS website so you can share this opportunity across your communication channels.

Grant applications close on Friday October 15 at 5:00pm AEDT.

Support for sporting organisations

The Sporting Club Grants Program will provide grants to assist active recreation and sporting clubs that incurred financial loss during the recent lockdowns in Victoria.

Victorian sport and active recreation organisations that were impacted by the recent lockdowns in Victoria can now apply for a funding lifeline courtesy of the Victorian Government’s Sporting Club Grants Program.

Grants of $2,000 for Victorian sport and active recreation organisations with a payroll of up to $3 million, to compensate for irrecoverable costs greater than $2,000 arising directly from the cancellation or postponement of events during lockdowns from Friday 16 July to 27 July 2021 and Thursday 5 August to 23 September 2021.

This funding is only available to organisations that are not eligible to seek funding from the Business Costs Assistance Program. Please check your eligibility.

Where would we be without Volunteers??

Volunteers are hugely important for the safe, enjoyable and successful running of all Victorian regattas however in today’s busy world finding enough volunteers can sometimes be challenging for regatta hosts.   

Often we here from spectators, family and friends that they would enjoy helping out at regattas but don’t quite know how or who to ask.

To make the process easier for all Rowing Victoria has created a Volunteer Registration Portal. Simply fill out the short and easy form and Rowing Victoria will be in touch, letting you know when and how you can help out.  

Want to know what's happening in Ballarat and at Lake Wendouree? 

Interested in attending events in Ballarat and at Lake Wendouree? Keep up to date with the latest by visiting the City of Ballarat Event Calendar website!