Club Based Affiliation Fee Update & Financial Relief Application
Bowls Victoria has been fielding a number of enquiries relating to the invoicing of Club Affiliation Fees for the 2017-18 season since these were distributed in early July.
It is relevant to understand that changes to the Bowls Victoria Club Based Affiliation Fee Model have been made and these were advised when we undertook our Region Visits around the State in May & June of this year.
This is why we actively encourage Clubs to be represented at these meetings, so they can be directly informed of what Bowls Victoria is delivering in respect of what the members (Clubs) advised us of when we requested them to provide feedback on the Club Based Fee Model in December 2016.
The Club Based Affiliation Fee Model implemented in 2014-15 has only been refined in 2017-18 to the following extent.
· The review cycle is now two years; and
· There is provision for clubs to apply for financial relief each year (see separate Information Update to CCOs’)
To reiterate what was discussed at the 2017 Region meetings. Use this link https://www.bowlsvic.org.au/News/bowls-victoria-region-visits-2017
· The Bowls Victoria Affiliation Fee is still Club Based. How Clubs choose to recoup monies from their members to cover these and any other operating costs is up to the individual Club.
Some Clubs grant free Club membership to their life-members, discounted Club membership for long service (10 years), junior membership rates, different scales of membership fee, etc. It is up to the individual Club to determine that.
· Bowls Victoria set the Club Based Fee to $52.85 for each Club’s financial and active membership at the consistent date 10 March 2017 in the Bowls Connect database, irrespective of any other status associated with a Club’s members. This was derived based on the Clubs’ total members and maintaining the same affiliation fee revenue base of $2.25 million year on year. This $2.25 million includes GST and Bowls Victoria’s affiliation fees to Bowls Australia with $1.5 million remaining.
· It is still a Club Based Fee and we have NOT reverted back to a per capita basis for individual members of Clubs. Far from it. It is the Clubs that are the members of Bowls Victoria not their own Club members, the grassroots bowlers. Irrespective of what methodology Bowls Victoria develops or utilises to determine Club affiliation fees, in fairness and equity it is requisite that Bowls Victoria reset the base for all Clubs on a consistent and concurrent basis at each review.
· Importantly, Bowls Victoria continue to bill in arrears.The Club based Affiliation Fee model was introduced in 2014-15 based on the 2013/2014 Club members physically paid for at that time. Likewise, 2017-18 is based on 2016-17 data.
· If a Club’s circumstances change significantly between 10 March 2017 and 30 September 2017 and meet the Bowls Victoria eligibility criteria, they may apply for consideration for Financial Relief.
Please take time to read through the Information Update that has been provided as part of this notification as it does contain some very relevant information that may assist your Club.
Application for Financial Relief form
