Regional Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme

Regional Athlete Travel Subsidy

The Regional Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme (ATSS) provides a funding subsidy to assist talented athletes who reside in regional Western Australian with out-of-pocket travel and accommodation costs to compete at regional, State and national championships or events.

The intent of ATSS is to support regional athletes that have progressed into the talent development/high performance pathway of their chosen sport. Athletes must have undergone a selection process* endorsed by their respective Regional (RSA)/State (SSA)/National Sporting Association (NSO) to participate at an event/competition within their pathway* that is essential to be considered for selection to a higher-level team/event.

*Refer to the assessment criteria section section for detailed definitions of selection and pathway.

The ATSS is part of the State Government’s Regional Athlete Support Program, administered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC), supported by the Royalties for Regions Program.

Applications can only be made retrospective of the event/program. Do not put in an application until after the event. Retrospective applications must be submitted within 3 months of the event date or they will be ineligible for funding.

Athlete eligibility

Applications can be submitted by individual athletes who must:

• permanently reside in regional (country) Western Australia (as per regional boundaries designated by the department)
• be selected and competing in one of the three performance categories
• be attending a recognised event that is part of their sport’s State or National pathway
• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• be aged 13* to 21 years at the commencement date of the event they are participating in
• be a current registered member of a club or association that is affiliated with a SSA that is deemed eligible by the department (refer Appendix 2 for eligible SSAs)
• be validated and endorsed by their SSA^#.

*Note: 13 and under age group events/competitions are not eligible for support, even if an athlete has turned 13 years of age prior to the event/competition start date.

#Note: athletes who are not endorsed by their SSA for reasons not related to performance criteria (e.g. outstanding debts to the SSA, breaches of codes of conduct, etc.) will either be deemed ineligible for subsidy support or will have their subsidy payment withheld until the SSA advises that the issue has been resolved.

Note: regional athletes who attend school or university and are boarding in metropolitan Perth are classed as regional athletes but are ineligible to apply for performance category levels 4 and 5 or receive Regional Athlete Support Scheme funding for other performance categories. . Refer to the clarification on metropolitan and regional boundaries.

What will be funded

A subsidy is provided to offset the athlete’s out-of-pocket travel and accommodation costs only associated with involvement in one of the performance categories.

Funding is allocated against the applicant’s out-of-pocket amount and will not exceed the specified maximum funding limits. In cases where the number of applications exceeds the budget, eligible athletes will receive lower funding.

Note: out-of-pocket expenses refer to travel/accommodation costs less any other financial support e.g. Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS), Local Sporting Champions, local government grants, etc.

Assessment criteria

Athletes who meet all points in the section above and are selected* to represent their region or Western Australia in an eligible SSA/NSO sanctioned state or national talent championships/event will be eligible to apply for funding.

*Selection refers to a process whereby clearly defined performance criteria are applied to select only the highest performing athletes onto a squad/team, within the athlete development pathway** controlled by the recognised SSA/NSO, and no element of chance is applied to that selection process. Where applicable, athletes must achieve advertised entry standards.

** The sport’s pathway is determined by those events and competitions that complement the progression of the athlete towards national representation with the recognised peak organisation for the sporting activity in Australia. It refers specifically to what is recognised by the SSA and the NSO as the milestone events that it is critical for athletes to participate in, in order to progress along that pathway.

Athletes must meet one of the three performance categories in line with Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) Foundations, Talent, Elite and Mastery (FTEM) framework to capture different sporting pathways during the eligible funding period (refer to the department’s website) to be eligible for a subsidy.

What will not be funded

A subsidy cannot be used to offset costs associated with the following:

• meals
• team uniforms
• sporting equipment
• medical/physiotherapy expenses unless the above costs are included within a contribution levy required to be paid by the athlete to a NSO/SSA/RSA
• travel to an international event, or a non-selection training camp, as a member of a national team
• travel to Country Week not forming part of a SSA formal selection process
• travel to school/university/touring team events
• travel to events where the athlete has chosen to represent WA or a region in an event they have qualified or nominated for and has not been selected by the NSO/SSA/RSA
• travel costs incurred by athletes competing in sports not deemed eligible by the DLGSC
• travel costs incurred by athletes competing in State representation teams, talent squads and/or training squads not selected/endorsed by the NSO/SSA/RSA
• travel costs incurred by athletes competing at events/competitions which do not form part of, or contribute to, the recognised NSO/SSA pathway
• expenses for family members attending the event with the athlete.

Performance categories

Athletes may only apply once for the same sport at the same category level, in the same financial year.

If an athlete has progressed to a higher category in the same financial year, an application can be submitted for consideration.

Notes

1. Athletes competing at national championships as part of a State country or region specific team e.g., North West or country specific teams will be assessed a Category 4 or 5 as they are representing a specific region and not the entire State.
2. Athletes competing at national championships as part of a club team or as an individual are only eligible as a Category 3 if they are also ranked as a State level athlete by their SSA.
3. Athletes competing as part of a WA State School team/Special Olympics State team are only eligible if school/Special Olympics teams/competitions are recognised and integrated into their SSA’s pathway. Athletes should contact their SSA prior to submitting their application to confirm the status of the team.
4. Where an RSA or SSA selects multiple teams in the same age group for the same event, only athletes in the highest ranked team are eligible. If equal teams are selected, then only those athletes ranked by the RSA/SSA as equivalent of the highest ranked team will be eligible. Regional athletes in State ‘B’ teams will be eligible for Category 4.

Application process

• Applicants should read and understand the application guidelines before commencing the application process.
• Applicants should direct any initial queries to their local Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries office, their SSA or via the travel subsidy enquiry email address travelsubsidy@dlgsc.wa.gov.au.
• Applications can only be made online retrospective of the event attended, aligned to the athlete’s application.
• Applications must be submitted using the online application form available via the DLGSC website and all sections must be completed (refer appendix 1 for all application information required).  In submitting the application, the athlete makes a commitment to the department to comply with the terms and conditions applicable to ATSS.
• Athletes will be eligible to apply for funding more than once per financial year in the same sport, provided any subsequent application is not in the same performance category.
• Payments are made to the nominated bank account stated within the application form, via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) after the round has closed and all applications have been assessed, validated by the SSA and processed.

Processing applications

Statewide assessment

• DLGSC will contact the SSA to validate that the information relating to the athlete’s performance level and travel costs is accurate, and to confirm the team/event is integrated into the recognised pathway for that sport.
• The SSA may withhold endorsement for matters not related to performance.
• DLGSC will assess applications based on the eligibility criteria and performance categories funding framework.
• Subsidy amounts are subject to the number of eligible applications received and allocated budget. Minimum funding thresholds will be applied and be determined by DLGSC.
• The assessment decision is final and no appeal regarding a decision will be entered into.

Notification

• The assessment and notification process will be completed within approximately 6 to 8 weeks of application.
• Successful applicants will receive a letter from the Minister of Sport and Recreation, as well as a remittance email when the subsidy is deposited via electronic transfer.
• Unsuccessful applicants will be notified via email.

Application periods

Applications are open all year round.