NT Sports minister Kate Worden commits $200,000 in funding to sport clubs volunteers

The Territory government has put up $200,000 to help sports clubs to upskill the ‘backbone’ of their organisations.

The NT government has dedicated hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to help sporting clubs and organisations invest in their backbone of volunteers.

Volunteers from sport and active recreation organisations now have access to resources, tools and funding under the new NT Sport Volunteer Action Plan.

The action plan focuses on developing and supporting sports volunteers through $200,000 in government funding to go towards initiatives and activities.

The program means clubs and organisations have the ability to upskill their current volunteers through development programs, while helping incentivise more people to come on board.

Sports minister Kate Worden said more than 120,000 Territorians participated in sport and would be unable to do so without volunteers.

“This plan is incredibly important as volunteers are the backbone of sport here in the Northern Territory,” she said.

“They’re the ones taking up officials roles, the administrators at our clubs, the mums and dads running water or tallying up scores from the weekend.

Chris Bedford NTIU, Bruce Stalder NT Football, Albert Krause NT Football, Tony Crowe NRL NT General Manager, Claire Hall Aus Sailing, Dieter Mittermayer Aus Cycling, Luke Seib Volleyball NT, Megan Saltmarsh Volunteering SA and NT, Lucy Camp Volunteering SA and NT, Kate Worden, Wendy Fry Gymnastic NT and Sue Gardiner Judo NT gather as the government announce a grant to allow greater access for volunteers in sport. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“They are absolutely the backbone of sport so we are investing $200,000 to attract new volunteers but also to invest in volunteers so they can be better skilled.

“We know volunteers across many years, particularly during Covid, have declined so what this does is invest in programs, allowing volunteers to take on more roles within their clubs with more skills.”

The plan was greatly supported by sporting leaders including Volleyball NT president Luke Seib who said he was looking forward to seeing the impact the plan would have.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of sports, we thank the government for putting this plan together and we look forward to seeing it in action,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what funding is available to help us recruit and retain volunteers, which is the biggest challenge at the moment, and how we can provide value.

“Having an action plan from government dedicated to promoting and supporting volunteering in sport, with funding to back it, will make the world of difference to our volunteers and our sport.”