Be Bold to be Better | Athletics Australia launches 10-year strategic plan

Athletics Australia has unveiled a new long-term strategic plan, with the aim of inspiring, empowering and supporting the athlete inside of everyone in the lead up the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Launched today following the success of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships and the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne, the plan lays out an ambitious blueprint, with a focus on bolstering participation through new programs, creating successful environments for high-performance athletes and coaches, and driving financial stability as the country enters a golden decade of sport.

Featuring a range of strategic priorities across five connected pillars, the objectives that will govern all decision making, have been developed in consultation with individuals from each facet of the Australian athletics community.

“Today marks a significant moment for Australian athletics as we launch our plan that will guide the organisation over this exciting decade,” said Athletics Australia President, Jan Swinhoe.

“Early last year, we recognised the need to transform our organisation in order to ensure the brightest future for the sport. With Athletics Australia’s Senior Leadership Team, our Board of Directors engaged with and listened to countless voices from across our community, including athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials, administrators, member associations and more.

“With the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, we realised there was no better time to refine our core purpose. Our vision, now, is to empower and support the athlete inside of everyone, from grassroots to the elite, and by following this plan, we believe we can ensure that athletics becomes the sport of choice for all Australians, no matter their age, gender, background or ability.”  

The key priorities and initiatives will focus on High Performance, People & Culture, Sport Delivery & Partnerships, Community & Participation, as well as Organisational Sustainability.

Creating collaborative and successful environments for athletes and coaches to excel on the world stage en route to Brisbane 2032 will be crucial to the High Performance strategy, with the measures of success being number one on the medal table at Victoria 2026, aiming to have a top-16 capable athlete in each event at the 2032 Olympics, and a medal in each event group at the corresponding Paralympic Games.

Inspiring passion for the sport, creating experiences that celebrate athletics and growing a profile for athletes and the Athletics Australia brand will be the focus of Sport Delivery and Partnerships. The Community and Participation end of the athletics spectrum will aim to grow participation, focussing on broadening the appeal of the sport through a product suite and initiatives focussed on diversity and inclusion, targeting children and young people, women and girls, people living with disability, the LGBTQ+ community as well as the continuation of its important work with First Nations People.

The enduring strategic priority for People & Culture, will be to build an empowered and sustainable workforce and volunteer community while a collaborative, well-governed and commercially sustainable sport that moves as one will become a key focus of Organisational Sustainability.

Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley said: “This plan comes at an opportune time as we seek to take our sport to the next level and ensure that it only grows from here on in.

“The last Games cycle showed us that our sport is moving in the right direction, and it marked the start of a new era for our sport in terms of talent and how it’s viewed. The next step was to collaborate with people who have the knowledge and passion for our sport to develop a vision and then create a clear plan for how we can create meaningful change.

“We have now taken the first steps to put this strategic plan into action, and I look forward to seeing our sport thrive, and create more opportunities for all Australians of all ages, abilities and backgrounds participate and enjoy the physical and social benefits that athletics has to offer.”

Strategic priorities 2023 – 2032:

1. High Performance - Create collaborative and successful environments for our athletes and coaches to succeed on the world stage.
2. People & Culture in our Sport - Build an empowered and sustainable workforce and volunteer community, reflective of Australia’s diverse population.
3. Sport Delivery & Partnerships - Create experiences that celebrate athletics, build value in our brand, grow the profile of our athletes and inspire passion for the sport.
4. Community & Participation - Provide opportunities that inspire movement – anywhere, anytime and for everybody.
5. Organisational Sustainability - A collaborative, well governed and sustainable sport that moves as one and builds on its collective strengths.

Further details on the strategic plan can be found here.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 2/3/2022