Athletics NSW To Pilot Paid Officiating Program

For over a century the sport of athletics has been delivered primarily by a group of selfless volunteers. Among them have been our wonderfully talented and dedicated cohort of technical officials, who are the engine room behind everything from our weekly competitions to NSW Championships.

However, for a number of years now the sport of athletics has faced a mounting challenge that we can no longer ignore – a decreasing number of available officials overall and a decreasing number of officials progressing to more senior levels. In our ever-changing society, where many of us are now more time-poor than ever, less time is available for volunteering. On top of that, the increasing costs associated with volunteering – travel, accommodation, meals and everything in between – has made it more difficult for people to commit to unpaid roles.

Athletics NSW exists to bring the sport of athletics and its many benefits to as many people as possible of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. If we are going to continue to serve our existing members to a high standard and attract new members from across NSW – then we must recruit, retain and support the development of more technical officials.

It is for this reason that Athletics NSW today announces the launch of a pilot paid officiating program at the 2023 NSW Junior Track and Field Championships and the 2023 NSW Open and U23 Track and Field Championships, with a view to the program being rolled out in the 2023 winter and 2023/24 summer seasons. The pilot follows consultation with our existing officials and will operate as follows:

1. all officials appointed to either of the Championships will be paid a set rate of $80 per day or $40 for half a day of officiating, regardless of their level of qualification; and
2. all officials appointed will need to have completed the Athletics Australia or the World Athletics Technical Official Level 1 Course, have a current Working with Children Check, as well as complete other minor administrative requirements.

Anyone meeting the requirements for this pilot will also be eligible to be appointed to school carnivals and other paid officiating opportunities.

This pilot is one aspect of a broader strategy that Athletics NSW will roll out in coming months, which also focusses on providing other forms of recognition and development opportunities for our athletics community, some of which are already in place and have seen improvements over the last 12 months.

We consider that this aspect of the strategy is a critical aspect of a broader plan to expand Athletics NSW’s capacity to deliver the sport to more people, in more locations throughout NSW. We are confident that it will help us better reward and recognise our existing Technical Officials, but also attract new and younger members to the team who may aspire to officiate at the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. For more information, or to start your journey as a NSW Technical Official, click here: https://www.nswathletics.org.au/officials/.

While there will be no increase to entry prices for this season’s Championships, the longer-term model will require entry price to increase. We are confident that our members recognise the significant value that our Technical Officials bring to the sport and agree that they should be adequately reimbursed for the costs they incur in providing that support to our athletes.

We are hopeful that our members will embrace this initiative as a long-overdue step in recognising some of the most valuable people in our athletics family. We are also hopeful that it will inspire some of our members to become officials themselves.

On behalf of all our members of ANSW, we’d like to publicly extend our thanks to our wonderfully dedicated officials for everything they have done both this season and over our 136-year history. This decision has been made with an eye on the immediate challenges, but also with a view to ensuring the sport we all love is sustainable for the next 136 years.

Matt Whitbread and Christian Renford

Chair and CEO

Athletics NSW