7 September 2018
A letter from Sarah Powell of the Champions Academy follows here:
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IN 2019 PROGRAM – BRIEFING SESSIONS FOR ASSOCIATIONS
As you may be aware, Champions Academy is a leadership, mentoring and personal development initiative that was founded in 2015 to encourage the next generation of sporting club members to ‘step up’ and teach them about the importance of giving back to their club and community.
The award winning pilot program which ran at Ports Football & Netball Club in the Eastern Eyre association between 2015-2017 exceeded all expectations. At the beginning of the 2018 season the pilot program evolved to become an association model, inviting all clubs in the Eastern Eyre League to participate and collectively benefit from the program. 26 members of the Cowell, Kimba Districts, Eastern Ranges and Ports football and netball clubs have been undertaking the program together throughout this season.
Champions Academy already had a proven track record for aiding leadership development, supporting the transition of knowledge and responsibilities to the next generation of club members, and increasing awareness of the enormous volunteer effort that it takes to run our sporting clubs. But under the new association model, the program has also helped to break down barriers between clubs and increase communication. This has been achieved by providing an insight into how clubs operate, enabling participants to develop an appreciation for their similarities and differences, and the lessons that we can learn from each other’s experiences.
The relationships that have formed during this season of Champions Academy (ie. internal relationships between current and future leaders within clubs; as well as relationships between participants from different clubs), have been very positive and productive.
Since the establishment of Champions Academy, I have regularly been contacted by clubs to find out if the initiative could be rolled out in other regions.
The association model of Champions Academy has proven to be highly effective and we are now making the program available to other zones across regional South Australia, inviting associations to express interest in delivery of the program within their region.
In the coming weeks I will be hosting a series of briefings to outline how Champions Academy works and present the outcomes achieved to date. Joining me will be representatives from the Eastern Eyre association, who will speak candidly about the impact of Champions Academy in their clubs and communities.
The information being shared at these briefings is intended for Association Executive Committees and Club Delegates. The sessions will provide high level information to create clarity around what the program does and how it works, which can then be taken back to general committees for further discussion if desired.
There are no obligations attached to these briefings. Our objective is purely to gauge interest in Champions Academy from associations around the regions and answer any questions they might have about local program delivery.
Our hope is that briefings can be held between now and mid-October, after finals but before the busy harvest season begins. For reference, we will be doing our scheduling for the 2019 season of Champions Academy in November/December in preparation for the 2019 program to commence in early February.
If you are interested in hosting a briefing to enable your affiliated clubs to find out more about Champions Academy, please contact me at your earliest opportunity (contact details can be found at the bottom of this page).
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.
Kind regards
Sarah Powell
Email: inquire@championsacademy.net.au
Phone: 0417 602472
Last Modified on 07/09/2018 16:18