Year in review

In FY2021, Macquarie Sports clinics were largely cancelled due to the pandemic, so we responded with two key initiatives. We extended our 2020 funding and redeployed funding to selected sporting partners to enable them to enhance an existing program or commence a new program. 

We extended our 2020 funding to 31 March 2021 (usually 31 December 2020) to allow an extra three months for our partners to get through the COVID restrictions, restart their programs and utilise our funding. Most partners have taken up this option, including:

• National Rugby League (NRL) run rugby league programs in regional Australia (Katherine and Gove in Northern Territory, Tamworth and Shoalhaven in New South Wales and Broome in Western Australia)

• All Female Surf Sports clinics (Clifton Beach in Tasmania, Swansea and Bulli in New South Wales)

• Surfing Australia run introductory surf clinics for charity groups around Australia.

We also redeployed funding to selected sporting partners to enable them to enhance an existing program or commence a new program. As part of enhancing Macquarie employee engagement, we created a People’s Choice award in which Macquarie’s Australian staff voted for Wheelchair Sports NSW/ ACT to receive a $A25,000 grant to deliver a second annual residential Junior Wheelies Camp. The additional camp will provide up to 50 disabled children with a three-day residential sporting experience at the Sydney Academy of Sport, enabling them to participate in a host of wheelchair sports and meet new friends.  Macquarie employees were also provided greater opportunity to volunteer at Macquarie Sports events.

The Macquarie Sports Advisory Committee also selected a further two organisations to receive $A25,000 each: Sportwell’s Hydrothon All-Female Surf Sports Clinics (focused on bushfire-affected surf clubs on the far south coast of NSW) and Water Polo NSW’s Girls Making Waves program (focused on regional communities).  

Clinics resuming

After a nine-month break due to COVID-19 and our first program disruption in over 20 years, we were very pleased to resume some community programs in November 2020 with appropriate COVID-19 safe protocols in place.

Together with Hockey NSW we visited several bushfire-affected communities on the far south coast of NSW, including Pambula, Moruya and Broulee. Clinics were run for over 500 children in local primary schools, with Kate Hanna (former Australian Hockeyroo) leading the sessions. Every student was provided with their own hockey stick and ball to take home.