A new Allan Labor Government initiative is helping more community sport volunteers and staff to upskill in regional Victoria.

Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today announced 12 successful grant recipients from the Sustainable Volunteer Workforce Program.

Tennis Victoria’s grant will go towards the administration for local clubs – giving volunteers more time to focus on their programs and activities.

Netball Victoria will use the grant money to create an education program that upskills netball volunteers to develop administrative and workplace skills, so their organization can run more smoothly.

Sports Central in Ballarat will provide professional development, networking, and mentoring support to help boost the number of women and girls volunteering at grassroots clubs in the Central Highlands area.

Swimming Victoria, in partnership with Diving Victoria, will create a new Aquatic Leader role in the Barwon South West region to address challenges such as declining volunteer numbers and pool closures.

The Sustainable Volunteer Workforce Program is complemented by the Strengthening Regional Community Sport program – with both programs backing local sports clubs and organisations to attract and retain volunteers and staff, reduce volunteer workload, and increase participation on and off the field.

The program is part of the Labor Government’s $60 million Regional Community Sport Development Fund that is delivering infrastructure and programs to support more regional Victorian families and children to get involved in sport.

Supporting the development of a highly skilled sport workforce is a key objective of Active Victoria 2022-2026 – A strategic framework for sport and active recreation in Victoria, which will ensure a strong and sustainable sports industry for Victoria into the future.

For more information on the Sustainable Volunteer Workforce Program, visit sport.vic.gov.au.