Valley Sport is proud to have received funding from Sport & Recreation Victoria under the Sustainable Volunteer Workforce Program 2024–2027.
This funding supports the delivery of our Club Hubs Pilot – an innovative initiative designed to build a more sustainable, capable and resilient volunteer workforce across regional Victoria.
Club Hubs Pilot
Community sport is powered by volunteers – but increasing compliance requirements, administrative demands and workforce shortages are placing growing pressure on local committees.
Through the Club Hubs Pilot, Valley Sport will trial a centralised administration hub model designed to:
- Reduce red tape and administrative burden on volunteers
- Improve governance and operational systems
- Increase volunteer capacity and retention
- Strengthen long-term club sustainability
- Build leadership and administrative skills
This pilot will test scalable hub approaches across multiple Local Government Areas in our region, exploring town-based, venue-based and sport-based models. The goal is to develop a replicable framework that can be adapted across regional and rural communities.
Why This Matters
Volunteers are the backbone of grassroots sport. Many give their time because they love their club and community – not because they want to manage complex administration systems.
By centralising and streamlining key administrative functions, the Club Hubs model will:
- Free up volunteers to focus on participation and community engagement
- Support better governance and compliance
- Create pathways for paid local administrative roles
- Build stronger, more resilient sporting environments
This program aligns with the broader objective of increasing the productivity, capability and resilience of the sport and active recreation workforce in regional Victoria.
Long-Term Sustainability
The pilot is designed to be sustainable beyond the initial funding period. Participating clubs will contribute to a shared model that supports a locally employed administrator, overseen and supported by Valley Sport to ensure quality, consistency and best practice.
By investing in smarter systems and stronger volunteer support structures now, we are helping safeguard the future of community sport across our region.port and recreation environments that are inclusive, accessible and sustainable for everyone.