Frequently Asked Questions
(Updated December 2020)
OneAthletics is the vision of Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia to unite into one sporting organisation at the national level – into “Australian Athletics”. States will be able to remain stand-alone organisations delivering their normal operations and age groups affiliated to the united national body.
Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia see significant benefits of uniting under one national entity to transform athletics into the biggest participation sport in the country. This unification will provide a clear and logical pathway for athletes, coaches and officials throughout their life in the sport.
Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia have been working closely with State and Territory member associations and key stakeholders to inform and prepare a joint proposal of the new National Body. This engagement has been critical to refining the vision and how the new organisation will look in the furture.
If this proposal receives the required level of member association support, a new National Body will be established.
One, united, national sporting organisation for athletics in Australia will have a multitude of benefits to athletes, clubs, coaches and officials including:
- Growth opportunities at all participation levels
- A clear athletics pathway
- Potential to enhance high-performance programs
- One pathway for developing coaches and officials
- More commercial opportunities to enhance funding
- Better use of organisational resources and improved administration
Once established, the OneAthletics program will be delivered along a united pathway that promotes life-long involvement in the sport. During the consultation for OneAthletics, members will have the opportunity to help design the programs for proposed age groupings.
There is no need to change the way your club or centre delivers athletics. We see this as a strength of the sport. By developing a clearer transition pathway, we believe there will be greater opportunities where the demand is strong for both clubs and centres to build on their existing offerings.
If the proposal is supported, there will be equal representation on the Transition Board from Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia.
The Transition Board will be responsible for the implementation plan and appointing a CEO and other resources.
There is no intention to reduce current staffing from both organisations. In fact, in other organisations where a change of this type has been achieved there has been increased opportunities for staff.
Under the proposal, all state and territory member associations affiliated with Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia would become members of Australian Athletics. Current member associations will be consulted to gather insight and input into the formation and principles of the new organisation.
This is an opportunity to work together to create a shared vision and structure for athletics in Australia.
If the OneAthletics proposal is successful there is no requirement for state and territory associations to merge. Where associations have been exploring a merger the new national sporting organisation will work with these associations to assist their efforts.
No club, centre or state association will be forced to come together under Australian Athletics. This is a merger at the national level, the coming together of Athletics Australia and Coles Little Athletics Australia to form a new body, “Australian Athletics”.
We believe that for the future sustainability of our sport, that unifying is the right thing to do. However, we are realistic, we know change can be difficult, and that the vote for the Australian Athletics entity is ultimately up to the state members.
Given that, if the merger vote is unsuccessful in October/November 2021, the OneAthletics program of work will continue. We will keep going, continuing to refine what Australian Athletics could look like and incorporating feedback towards a stronger proposal, until a successful outcome can be reached.
The two national bodies are already bringing together teams from each organisation to collaborate which will continue into the 2021 year with an enhanced focus
The coaching pathway will be built to eliminate barriers and improve the experience of coaches. This includes opening opportunities for junior coaches / ITC recipients to commence their accreditation journey if they so wish through the accredited pathway.
A merged national sporting organisation will allow opportunity for more investment through commercial partners, resulting in further opportunity for all aspects of the sport, including direct investment into coaching, officiating and schools.