Regional Sports Assemblies – helping your club
In regional areas, they are a great source of help for both volunteers and their bowls clubs. They are local, and they provide expert advice.
Regional Sports Assemblies (RSAs) have helped get great things started in Victoria’s regional bowls clubs, and been the driving force behind initiatives which have changed clubs for the better.
Like Ballarat North Bowling Club, whose barefoot bowls program this year came about with assistance from their local RSA – Sports Central.
Late in 2016, Ballarat North investigated ways to engage more with the local community and potentially attract new social players and members to the Club.
Through discussions with their playing group and with Sports Central, the Club decided to deliver a four-week Barefoot Bowls Program.
A previous Barefoot Bowls Program hadn’t achieved the desired results because the format required participants to commit for the entire season. This was identified as a significant participation barrier. To eliminate this barrier and to maximise participation, it was decided that new teams would be formed each week, allowing participants to come along to any or all of the sessions.
Over the course of the four-week program, the Club welcomed 50 new participants – a fantastic outcome.
Sports Central assisted the Club by offering advice in relation to maximising participation, developing marketing materials and registration forms, and providing hands on support over the duration of the program.
Sports Central is one of nine RSAs around Victoria, all incorporating a variety of Local Government Areas.
Bowls Victoria’s Participation and Club Development Manager Scott Nicholas says more clubs should make use of RSAs.
“Regional Sports Assemblies can help clubs understand their local community and develop the skills of clubs and their hard-working volunteers in a number of different ways,” Scott says.
“This might mean supporting clubs undertake the Good Sports program, or trial a new participation program to get more people bowling.
“RSAs, along with our Regional Bowls Managers, provide a local point of contact and expertise. All of our clubs in regional Victoria have to make sure to utilise them, it’s a must.”
Click on each link to find out more about the Regional Sports Assembly nearest to your club. There’s also a helpful list of the local councils associated with each RSA.
GippSport – Bass Coast, Baw Baw, South Gippsland, Latrobe City, Wellington Shire and East Gippsland Shires
Leisure Networks – City of Geelong, Colac Otway, Queenscliff and Surf Coast Shires
Mallee Sports Assembly – Mildura, Swan Hill, Gannawarra and Buloke Shires
South West Sport – City of Warrnambool, Southern Grampians, Glenelg, Corangamite and Moyne Shires
Sports Central – City of Ballarat, Rural City of Ararat, Hepburn, Pyrenees, Moorabool and Golden Plains Shires
Sports Focus – City of Greater Bendigo, Shire of Campaspe, Mount Alexander, Central Goldfields, Macedon Ranges and Loddon Shires
Sport North East – Alpine, Indigo, Towong, Rural City of Wangaratta, City of Wodonga Shires
Valley Sport – City of Greater Shepparton, Mitchell, Moira, Murrindindi, Strathbogie, Benalla and Mansfield Shires
Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly – Horsham, Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, West Wimmera and Northern Grampians Shires
