SKAAC

St Kevin's Amateur Athletic Club

SKAAC Athlete Assistance Program

Written by the SKAAC Committee
25 August 2015

Description and Objectives of Program

 

  1. What is the SKAAC Athlete Assistance Program?

The SKAAC Athlete Assistance Program provides grants of up to $1000 per season to assist SKAAC athletes with travel to compete at National championships, AA Tour Meet/Grand Prix or International events.

  • 1.1 Why does SKAAC provide athlete assistance?

The SKAAC Athlete Assistance Program will assist elite SKAAC athletes with travel costs to National championships, AA Tour Meet/Grand Prix or International events to maximise their potential. It also allows the recipient of the grant to provide exposure Nationally and Internationally to SKAAC and act as an advocate to promote SKAAC.

 

  1. Who can apply?

Applications can be submitted by individual athletes who meet all of the following criteria:

  • an elite athlete as defined in these guidelines;
  • a current financial member of SKAAC;
  • a First Claim SKAAC Athletics Victoria member for the current season; and
  • travelling outside Victoria to compete at a national championship or international event.

For the purposes of this assistance program, an elite athlete is defined as:

An athlete who commits significant time to training and competing in their sport as either an individual or team member, and is recognised by Athletics Australia or Athletics Victoria as a representative of Victoria or Australia eligible to compete at the highest level nationally and internationally.

 

  1. What types of activities might be funded?

Assistance from this program can be used for:

  • Travel and accommodation costs associated with competing at a National championships, AA Tour Meet/Grand Prix or International Priority will be given to travel for the purposes of representing Victoria or Australia.

 

  • 3.1 What will not be funded?

The SKAAC Assistance Program is not intended to fund the following:

  • athletes who do not meet the elite definition as outlined in these guidelines;
  • any costs other than travel and accommodation (i.e. entry fees, food, uniforms etc);
  • any events in Australia that are not the official national championship or an international event for that sport;
  • travel to attend training or training camps (even if this occurs directly before an eligible event)
  • athletes under suspension, sanction or investigation for an anti-doping rule violation
  • travel that occurs before the application is submitted
  • return travel from events that commence before the application is submitted
  • travel costs for coaches accompanying athletes (these are to be submitted by the coach directly to the SKAAC Committee)

 

  1. What determines the amount that can be allocated in any given season?

Each season the SKAAC Committee commits to hold at least one fund raising event to support the SKAAC Assistance Program. Each dollar of profit from this event(s) will be used for potential distribution within the program[1].

In determining the amount to be allocated the SKAAC Committee can consider:

  • Proportional Split – no single athlete will receive assistance greater than 30% of the total available assistance pool; and
  • Aggregate Dollar – no single athlete will receive assistance larger than $1000 in any given season, unless based upon both criteria:
  • All other assistance has been provided, based upon merit, to every other eligible SKAAC athlete.
  • The funding source is agreed by the unanimous SKAAC Committee decision to be provided from general SKAAC club reserves.

Allocation of assistance money will be done for the current season during the period from 15 October. This is to allow for the results from the club’s major fundraising event, the Grand Final Eve Trivia Night to be appropriately accounted for. Any members requesting assistance prior to this period will only be eligible to draw from a pool of no greater than $1000 in aggregate, based upon the likely surplus for club fees from approximately a fee base of 70 members.

It is expected that the “peak” time for requests from athletes will be from January of any given season, however that is not to discount any request to the SKAAC Committee to support overseas competition in the Australian winter.

 

  1. What is the application process?

There are three closing dates for applications in 2015 – 2016. Applications will be accepted for travel to events that occur at any time after the date that the previous round closed. The application must however be submitted before the athlete travels and the event commences.

Closing dates Notifications anticipated by:

Friday 31 July 2015 for payment by 10 August 2015
Friday 4 December 2015 for payment by 1 January 2016
Friday 29 January 2016 for payment by 8 February 2016

Please note that the assessment process takes place at the SKAAC Committee Meeting with athletes advised (and paid if applicable) within 1 week of the SKAAC Committee Meeting.

There are also some important steps to consider before submitting an application to the Elite Athlete Travel Grants Program.

Step 1: Check your eligibility

Check the detailed information contained in this guide to see if you and your proposed

activity are eligible. Other important information about this grant program and the application process can be found at

www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/elite-athlete-travelgrants

Step 2: Apply in writing to the Club Secretary at

P.O. Box 128
Elwood Victoria 3128

Or by email: admin@skaac.com

 Make sure you have the information you need on hand, including required documents.
You will receive an acknowledgement from the Club Secretary when your application has been received.

Attaching information

You can attach documents to your email application as long as they are in an acceptable
file type (eg. Word, Excel, PDF, or JPEG) and don’t exceed the maximum file size (2Mb).

 

  1. How will applications be assessed?

  • 6.1 What are the other assessment criteria?

Eligible applications will be assessed using the questions and criteria listed below.

Weightings in percentage are provided as a guide to the relative importance of different

criteria in the assessment process. Applications should address all relevant criteria. A 25 per cent weighting is applied to the details of the event(s) you are travelling to, including where and when, and also the cost details, and all costs associated with the trip. Ensure

that you complete all sections. Feedback may be sought from relevant Competition Directors and State Coaches to confirm the eligibility of applicants and how the proposed travel and competition will assist their progression through the elite pathway in their sport.

Why? (25%)

  • Describe why you want to travel to compete at this event and what benefits this will provide to you.

Who? (50%)

  • Provide details of your previous performances and how you meet the elite athlete definition outlined in these guidelines.

Cost? (25%)

  • Provide details of the costs for your anticipated travel.

 

  1. Conditions that apply to applications and funding

  • 7.1 Acknowledging SKAAC’s support and promoting the club

Successful applicants need to acknowledge the club’s support through the provision of assistance from the Elite Athlete Travel Grants Program by:

  • Making themselves available for the “Back to SKC Legends afternoon” during SKC Term 3 in support of the SKC Athletics Team;
  • Wearing the SKAAC singlet when competing when assistance is provided. Note: if the receiving athlete has a separate apparel sponsorship, this independent apparel sponsorship is to take precedence.
  • Attend and support with invited guests, the club’s various fundraising functions, especially the Grand Final Eve Trivia Night.
  • At least be qualified, by running the requisite number of rounds, to be selected in the SKAAC Mens’ Division 1 AV Shield Final team or compete in at least two rounds of the APSOC (preferably the Championship races) or Athletics Victoria Cross Country competition.
  • Should a candidate be unable to meet all of above criteria through a legitimate reason, the SKAAC Committee may still consider the candidates application.

 

  • 7.2 Privacy

Any personal information about you or a third party in your application will be collected by SKAAC for the purpose of Athlete Assistance Program administration. This information may be provided to the broader club membership either on the club’s website or various social media platforms. Information relating to the amount of the assistance provided and the receivers name will also be published in the SKAAC Annual Report.

Any personal information about you or a third party in your correspondence will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) and other applicable laws. SKAAC is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information.

 

[1] The SKAAC Committee shall not be compelled to make any allocation in any given season should no suitable applicants be identified or if the overall financial position of the club be unable to sustain the program.