Accolades for retiring ASC Chair John Wylie AM

01 October 2020

More direct funding to sports and athletes, a more efficient organisation, a focus of improved sport governance and greater recognition for women’s sport and the Paralympic movement highlight the leadership of Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Chair John Wylie AM.

Mr Wylie has officially announced he will retire as Chair on November 5 this year, completing an eight-year term. Mr Wylie was appointed in September 2012 as the sixth Chair of the ASC and will lead his final Board meeting in mid-October.

The ASC and the whole sport sector is indebted to Mr Wylie’s dedication, service and his tireless advocacy for Australian sport.

Notable achievements from 2012-2020 throughout his leadership include:

• More investment in high performance: Increasing AIS high performance grants to sport by more than 38 per cent, from $105m a year ahead of the 2012 London Olympics to $145m last financial year.
• Future focus: Helping to secure high performance funding for the next two years, as well as pathways funding to create a pipeline for emerging athletes.
• Direct grants to Australian athletes: Increasing dAIS grants to athletes by 61 per cent, from $9 million a year in 2012 to more than $14 million this year.
• The rise of Paralympic sport: Increasing the prominence of Paralympic sport, including a 40 per cent increase in funding since 2012.
• Athlete support: Introducing the Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement team at the AIS to enable greater focus and investment on holistic athlete development during their sporting careers.
• Pathways: An increase of funding of 158 per cent to the national Local Sporting Champions program, which now provides more than 9,000 grants a year to young sportspeople between the ages of 12-18.
• National Institute Network collaboration: The launch of the National High-Performance Sport Strategy 2024, the first of its kind that enhances collaboration between the AIS and the state institutes and academies of sport.
• Community sport investment: More than 24,000 grants delivered to community sport in the 2019-20 financial year.
• Governance reform: Making sport governance reform a key agenda for the improved capability of sport.
• Championing women in sport: A focus on participation but also commercial support for women’s sport, resulting in a rise of domestic professional competitions and greater recognition for national teams. This work extended beyond athletes and included Mandatory Governance Principles that called for at least 40 per cent female representation on Board, as well as programs for female coaches and executives.
• Delivering on Government priorities: the National Sport Plan 2030, announced by the Australian Government in August 2018
• School sport: Launching the national Sporting Schools program in 2015, a fun and free sporting experience that has now reached more than 7,900 schools nation-wide
• Participation initiatives: for all Australians, including the Move It AUS Better Ageing grants aimed at Australians over 65.
• A more efficient business: A reduction of 20 per cent in the ASC’s operating expenditure, enabling an increase of 52 per cent in funding to sport.

The Australian Government has paid tribute to the commitment and passion of Mr Wylie as the recruitment process to find Sport Australia’s next Board Chairperson commences.

Minister for Youth and Sport Richard Colbeck said throughout his eight year tenure Mr Wylie has displayed great dedication to developing Australia’s sport capacity, particularly through his contributions toward the National Sport Plan, Sport 2030 and supporting athletes to the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games and numerous world championships.

The Australian Government is now seeking expressions of interest from highly experienced individuals to fill the Chairperson position. Applications are open until 16 October and more information about the Sport Australia Chairperson role can be found HERE, opens in a new tab.