Regional athletes, coaches and officials are the beneficiaries of funding to nine special programs around Western Australia that will help them achieve their sporting dreams.
The Regional Talent Development Network (RTDN) grants program is a component of the Regional Athlete Support Program. This State-wide network supports talented regionally based athletes, coaches, and officials, allowing them to continue their sporting development and progress while living at home and having access to a high-quality daily training environment.
This round of funding from the RTDN – totalling $545,000 – is going to eight organisations for nine programs, which include a football talent development program in the Wheatbelt, a program for coaches and athletes in the Pilbara to foster growth and performance success, development opportunities to move from sub-elite to elite level in the Goldfields, and providing an elite home daily training environment in the Mid-West.
The funding has gone to regional sporting academies, State Sporting Associations, and sport talent networks who will deliver the programs and opportunities.
In this round, the nine programs receiving funding for projects in the 2022-23 financial year include:
- Swimming WA – $35,000;
- WA Basketball Federation – $70,000;
- Goldfields Sports Development Foundation – $30,000;
- Esperance District Recreation Association – $25,000;
- Mid West Academy of Sport – $200,000;
- Peel Sport and Recreation Network – $140,000;
- Perth Football Club – $5,000; and
- Stephen Michael Foundation – $20,000 (Gascoyne) and $20,000 (Wheatbelt).
The RTDN grants program facilitates access to sport-specific skill coaching and non-sport specialist services for regional athletes, as well as facilitating regional talent development initiatives across the industry.
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As stated by Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman:
“Regionally-based athletes, coaches, and officials don’t always get the same opportunities as their city counterparts and this funding helps take programs to them.
“This funding goes to programs and development opportunities for them to grow, improve their skills and abilities, and progress along the sporting pathway – potentially to elite level – so they can realise their sporting dreams.
“RTDN funding also allows programs to target a specific sport or regional need in order to gain maximum results. This is one way we can identify our next Olympians and Commonwealth Games team and support them on the way there.”
