Community sporting clubs and associations are the backbone of the Central Highlands. Powered by passionate volunteers, they create opportunities for participation, connection and community pride. However, many organisations face ongoing challenges including volunteer turnover, limited succession planning and difficulty attracting and retaining diverse leaders.
Leading from the Front is a practical workforce sustainability program designed to strengthen the off-field leadership, committees and volunteer structures of sporting organisations across the Central Highlands.
Delivered by Sports Central, the program will provide subsidised consulting support to a limited number of organisations in 2026.
What Participating Organisations Receive
- Governance and Workforce Assessment: Facilitated use of the Australian Sports Commission’s Game Plan modules to assess governance maturity and workforce capability.
- Workforce Skills and Diversity Profile: A clear snapshot of current committee roles, volunteer capacity, skills and leadership diversity.
- Recommendations Report and Action Plan: A practical roadmap outlining governance improvements, succession strategies and priority actions.
- Advisory Session: Expert guidance to strengthen inclusive leadership, governance practices, and explore partnerships, resources and funding opportunities.
How the Program Works
Participating organisations are guided through a structured five-phase process:
- Program Onboarding: Organisations confirm participation, nominate key contacts and meet with Sports Central to review program goals, expectations and timelines.
- Organisational Snapshot: Game Plan modules, a workforce profile and document review provide a baseline understanding of governance, leadership and volunteer capacity.
- Gap Analysis: Sports Central identifies governance risks, workforce sustainability challenges and opportunities to strengthen leadership diversity.
- Action Planning: A draft recommendations report is reviewed with the organisation during a facilitated workshop, where priorities, responsibilities and timelines are agreed.
- Advisory and Follow-Up: Final recommendations and the action plan are endorsed, with additional support explored. A six-month follow-up reviews progress and outcomes.
The Outcome
By the end of the program, organisations will:
Understand their leadership and workforce strengths
Identify key governance and capability gaps
Have a clear, practical workforce sustainability plan
Be better positioned for long-term growth and community impact
Applications Now Open
Applications for the 2026 intake are now open.
Places are limited and demand is expected to be high.
Sporting organisations across the Central Highlands are encouraged to express their interest in this targeted, high-impact program.