Frequently Asked Questions: STBA 6th August SGM
What has Badminton Tasmania done for badminton in Southern Tasmania, and at the STBA badminton centre, over the last three years and what is planned in the future?
Badminton Tasmania (BT): Participation
- has introduced badminton to more than 4,880 school students in Hobart and surrounding suburbs.
- paid for, and operated, the All-Abilities Badminton Program and the Para-Badminton Program, both from the Southern Tasmanian Badminton Association’s (STBA) badminton centre, working with more than 60 participants living with physical and intellectual disabilities. BT has also assisted one athlete under the Para-Badminton Program receive a scholarship to the Tasmanian Institute of Sport.
- conducted Come & Try Programs at the STBA badminton centre to introduce more than 170 players to the sport of badminton and provided them with information about playing at the STBA badminton centre. Over the last five years BT has conducted Come & Try Programs at the STBA badminton centre to introduce more than 405 players to badminton and directly organised for a large percentage of these participants to become members of the STBA.
- partnered with Disability Sport Australia to deliver Abilities Unleashed Come & Try days in Hobart to give people living with disabilities the opportunity to try our sport.
- has run 4 Shuttle Smash Programs in Southern Tasmania for 54 participants to develop badminton players at the grass roots level. BT has provided these participants with information about playing at the STBA badminton centre.
- will introduce badminton to over 200 primary school students as part of the Huon / Channel Primary School Sports Day on Monday 26 August and Tuesday 27 August 2024. BT will continue to be proactive in providing the students with any information about playing at the STBA badminton centre or becoming an STBA member. BT also welcomes any assistance from any STBA member at the School Sports Day.
Coaches and umpires
- conducted 3 coaching courses and an umpire course, available for STBA members to further develop their coaching and umpiring skills and pathway. BT will be running a further coaching course for STBA members on Sunday 4 August 2024 and another umpire course for STBA members later in the year.
- provides a pathway for coaches, umpires and line judges to coach, umpire or line judge at a state, national and international level. BT is extremely proud to see one line judge representing Tasmania and Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Junior development
- operates and subsidises the GOSEN Junior Pathway Program, which involves one two-day camp and four one day camps in each year for STBA junior athletes wanting to develop their game. The last two-day camp was held in Hobart (teaching technical, tactical, physical, and mental skills) and involved 10 STBA junior athletes. Five volunteers from BT delivered the program and contacts at BT enabled access to a high-quality gym and experienced gym instructors to teach and develop STBA junior members.
- provided and developed coaches who coached, for over three decades, Tasmanian U/17 and U/19 state teams involving hundreds of STBA members with many members earning Australian rankings and being selected in Australian teams.
Tournaments
BT has operated the following tournaments for STBA members keen to further their game:
- GOSEN Tasmanian Team Championships – over the four-year period from 2021 to 2024 over 189 STBA members have participated in this team event.
- GOSENAustralianMulticulturalBadmintonChampionships–overtheyears2021 and 2024 over 160 STBA members participated in the event.
- Tasmanian Championships – over the three-year period from 2021 to 2023 over 305 STBA members have participated in the event.
- Greater Northern Championships – over the three-year period from 2021 to 2023 over 156 STBA members have participated in the event.
- City of Launceston – in 2024 around 32 STBA members participated in event. Australian National Championships
- has provided a pathway for STBA members to play in Tasmanian U/15, U/17, U/19, and Tasmanian Open State teams at the Australian National Championships. Over the last decade 74 out of a possible 115 places in the Tasmanian Open State teams alone have been filled by STBA members.
Australian National Championships
- has assisted Tasmanian coaches, umpires, and managers to attend the Australian National Championships each year to support Tasmanian U/17, U/19, and Open State teams. All State team entry fees are paid by BT. This year BT volunteered a coach for an U/19 team entered in the Victorian Junior Teams Event so that STBA junior members could experience playing badminton at a national level and, after their being no nominations for manager, BT has volunteered the manager for the Tasmanian U/17 team with all places in the team filled by STBA members. BA by-laws dictate the team could not participate without these positions.
- BT coaches were the sole reason for the existence of the STBA’s very own team (the Southern Sharks) in the U/17 June Bevan Trophy and Australasian National Badminton Championships for a number of years.
Governance
Worked with Badminton Australia (BA) to develop the following policy documents for use by the STBA:
- Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy; o MemberProtectionPolicy;
- Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy;
- LGBTQ+InclusionPolicy;
- CompetitionManipulationandSportGamblingPolicy; o Improper Use of Drugs and Medicine Policy;
- Anti-dopingPolicy;and
- Code of Conduct.
- has developed and published its Strategic Plan for the period 2024 to 2027 and its Operational Plan for the period 2024 to 2027. BT offered the STBA Committee the opportunity to contribute to both the Strategic and Operational Plans of BT and the direction of the sport in Tasmania over the next 4-year period.
- has organised and led two state forums over the last year with the STBA, North Western Badminton Association (NWBA) and the Greater Northern Badminton Association (GNBA) to discuss the nature and structure of affiliation fees paid by members, the creation of Sport Integrity Australia Policy documents for use by members, the BT Strategic Plan and Operational Plans covering the period from 2024 to 2027, insurance cover for members, constitutions, tournaments and the development of junior players around Tasmania.
Grant funding
- has offered the STBA, on a number of occasions, the ability to apply for grant funding through BT (for grants available only to a state body) to develop the sport in Southern Tasmania and offset some of its affiliation fee. In the past, the STBA has taken up the offer and received grant funding to run various programs, including a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Program. Further, over the 23-year period from 2000 to 2023 the STBA received over $652,000 in grant funding to upgrade the badminton centre to provide access for athletes living with a disability, to upgrade the badminton courts, to improve the social club and kitchen facilities, build new stands, and to hire a development coach. The STBA secured this grant funding with the significant assistance and support from BT and BA throughout the entire application process.
- was recently successful in obtaining funding to purchase 4 sport specific wheelchairs for use by STBA members who are living with a disability to more readily access the sport. The grant does not cover the full cost of the 4 wheelchairs, so BT is covering the balance being around $4,000.
The history of badminton in Tasmania
• continues to be proactive in publicly honouring and recognising the rich history of badminton in Tasmania and the enormous role that STBA members have played, and continue to play, and their significant contribution to the sport over many years.
This work by BT is all helping grow the sport, introduce badminton to new players who will hire courts at the STBA badminton centre (generating revenue for the STBA) and attract new STBA members.
If the STBA decide not to affiliate with Badminton Tasmania, what will that mean for STBA members?
STBA members will not be able to play in BT sanctioned tournaments, including the GOSEN Tasmanian Teams Championships & Bellchambers Cup, the Tasmanian Championships, the GOSEN Australian Multicultural Badminton Championships, the Greater Northern Championships, and the City of Launceston. The City of Hobart and STBA Invitational Championships will not be sanctioned by BT.
STBA members wanting to coach, umpire or be a line judge will lose their pathway to coach, umpire, or line judge at a state, national or international level.
STBA members will not be eligible to be selected to play, coach or umpire in Tasmanian U15, U17, U19 and Open State teams.
STBA members will lose access to the national insurance scheme for personal accident insurance for its members, as well as club management liability and public liability insurance and will not be covered by BA’s Sport Integrity framework.
Grant funding applications are often dependant on a member being affiliated with the State body and the significant support provided by the State body (and often the national body) during the application process. The STBA may lose the opportunity to be eligible to receive some future grant funding that it would otherwise have been eligible to receive.
The STBA will lose the support, advice and network of BT and BA.
Does the Badminton Tasmania constitution provide for individual members to directly affiliate? If so, will Badminton Tasmania allow individual members to directly affiliate if the STBA decides not to affiliate with Badminton Tasmania?
Section 5.7 of the Constitution of BT does state that an individual that is recognised, affiliated, accredited or registered by or with, an Affiliate or a Constituent Association Member (i.e. the STBA) will, upon registration with the Affiliate or Associate Member, become an Individual Member of TBA and be subject to the provisions of the Constitution of BT.
The effect of this section, in simple terms, is to ensure that a registered member of the STBA (if affiliated with BT) is also an individual member of BT – to ensure that registered members of the STBA are covered under the national insurance scheme of BA.
It is not the intention of this section to register or affiliate individual members directly with BT.
A similar clause is contained in the Constitution of BA for the same purpose as mentioned above – not to register individual members directly with BA but to ensure that registered members of the STBA are covered under the national insurance scheme of BA.
In 2020, the Northen Tasmanian Badminton Association disaffiliated with Badminton Tasmania and Badminton Tasmania created the Greater Northern Badminton Association so clubs in Northern Tasmania could affiliate with Badminton Tasmania. Will BT do this in Southern Tasmania so that players in Southern Tasmania can directly affiliate with Badminton Tasmania if the STBA members decide to disaffiliate with Badminton Tasmania?
In 2020, the NTBA disaffiliated with BT because of its financial challenges. Membership of the NTBA had declined consistently over the decade prior and the NTBA was heavily reliant on membership income. Ultimately, the NTBA was faced with increased expenses and declining revenue income.
The STBA is not in a similar situation. In 2023, the STBA made a net profit of $171,815 after they paid $21,800 in affiliation fees to BT. Thanks to the hard work and foresight of Mr Harry Thompson and other STBA members, and through the significant support of BT, the STBA is not heavily reliant on membership income with significant court hire revenue driving their business.
The STBA membership now has an important opportunity to decide, without the financial pressures faced by the NTBA, about whether the STBA and its members wish to remain affiliated with the STBA.
Ultimately, BT will respect the decision of the STBA and its members but will not, and does not have the financial resources to, create a separate association in Southern Tasmania.
If I want the STBA to remain affiliated with BT, so BT can continue its important work, will the new constitution we are being asked to approve dilute the existing protections available to me?
The current constitution of the STBA has a requirement that the STBA remains affiliated with BT (see subrule (2)(b) under Rule 4. Objects & Purposes).
The new constitution that you are being asked to approve does not have that requirement, so it will be at the discretion of the STBA Committee (where people and views change over time) as to whether they wish to remain affiliated with BT.
If you wish to retain your existing protections, it is BT’s view that you should not approve the new constitution in its current form and vote No to the first Special Resolution.
How much does each affiliated member pay to Badminton Tasmania each year, how much of that is paid to Badminton Australia in affiliation fees and how much is used in the general operations of Badminton Tasmania?
For the 2024 financial year:
- $22,304 is payable by the STBA to BT (covering 1,039 registered members).
- $7,788 is payable by the NWBA to BT (covering 363 registered members).
- $3,069 is payable by the GNBA to BT (covering 247 registered members).
Of the total amount of $33,161 received by BT, $20,449 is payable to BA for BT to be affiliated with BA, with the balance of $12,712 used by BT to cover a very modest operating budget for the financial year (to cover: state team entry fees, office supplies, honorariums, audit expenses, AGM expenses, advertising and travel to BA AGM and national forums).
Is Badminton Tasmania doing anything to reduce the fees paid by the STBA to Badminton Tasmania? If so, what is being done?
In 2021 and 2022 BT significantly discounted the affiliation fees payable by the STBA to BT to assist the STBA during the COVID-19 pandemic. BT has also significantly reduced the honorariums it pays to the Secretary and Treasurer of BT by 70% and has passed these savings onto the STBA, which was acknowledged by the President of the STBA at the most recent state forum.
More recently BT has been in discussions with BA about changing the affiliation fee structure at the national level so there is less reliance on affiliation fees paid by the states and territories to the national body. BA is supportive of this plan and held a national forum in Sydney last month, which was attended by BT.
BT expects BA to now lead a more detailed review to change the affiliation fee structure. This should mean a decrease in affiliation fees paid by BT to BA. This reduction will then be passed on to the STBA, NWBA and GNBA.
What were the affiliation fees that each member of Badminton Tasmania paid to Badminton Tasmania over the last two financial years compared to the net profit each member made after it paid the affiliation fee?
STBA
In 2023 the STBA made a net profit of $171,815 after they paid $21,800 in affiliation fees to BT (covering 1,039 individual members) and in 2022, the STBA made a net profit of $104,165 after they paid $11,809 in affiliation fees to BT.
NWBA
In 2023 the NWBA made a net loss of $1,407 after they paid $7,565 in affiliation fees to BT (covering 363 individual members) and in 2022, the NWBA made a net profit of $7,732 after they paid $3,167 in affiliation fees to BT.
GNBA
The GNBA broke even in 2023 after they paid $3,320 in affiliation fees to BT (covering 230 individual members) and in 2022, the GNBA broke even after they paid $2,162 in affiliation fees to BT.
In 2023, individual members of the STBA paid a membership fee of $30 to the STBA, members of the NWBA paid a membership fee of up to $100 to the NWBA and members of the GNBA paid a membership fee of up to $40 to the GNBA.
Did Badminton Tasmania play a role in the STBA receiving any grant funding over the last twenty years to improve the badminton centre or run programs? If so, how much funding did the STBA obtain and for what purpose? Could the STBA have obtained that funding without the support of Badminton Tasmania?
Over the 23-year period from 2000 to 2023 the STBA received over $652,000 in grant funding to upgrade the badminton centre to provide access for athletes living with a disability, upgrade the badminton courts, improve the social club and kitchen facilities, build new stands, and hire a development coach. The STBA secured this grant funding with the significant assistance and support from BT and BA throughout the entire application process.
In relation to the much-needed access to the STBA badminton centre for athletes living with a disability, BT’s ongoing Para-Badminton and All-Abilities Badminton Programs were instrumental in demonstrating badminton’s commitment to athletes of all-abilities and in demonstrating the broad community benefits required for the grant. The collaborative effort between the STBA, BT and BA positioned the facility upgrade as beneficial to the entire badminton community across Tasmania and Australia, not just a local club.
Both BT and BA provided representatives who attended meetings with grant funders and state and national politicians, lending their credibility and expertise and emphasising the state and national importance of the project.
In relation to the grant funding to upgrade the badminton courts the application for funding by the STBA, with significant support from BT, emphasised the need for improved flooring to meet the required standards for state and national badminton championships, positioning itself as an integral part of a wider state and national badminton community.
The grant to upgrade the social club kitchen facilities was obtained following joint meetings involving representatives of BT and the STBA.
The assistance provided by BT to the STBA to secure over $652,000 in funding for the STBA is a significant investment by BT into the future of the STBA arising from the STBA’s long term affiliation with BT.
Furthermore, a key requirement for eligibility in any state and federal government application for funding has been whether the STBA is affiliated with BT.
What role did Badminton Tasmania play in the STBA obtaining a lease on the badminton centre in the early 1960’s and funding to build courts 9 to 12 to allow the STBA the benefit of decades of court hire revenue?
BT’s role in organising and promoting badminton in Tasmania led to the formation of the STBA and the eventual construction of the dedicated badminton centre in South Hobart. The STBA now enjoying the benefits of significant court hire revenue with a minimal lease expense comes off the back of a lot of hard work by Mr Harry Thompson and other STBA members but also from the significant support, backing and investment from BT and from representations by BT about the role that the badminton centre would play in the wider badminton community. It is important to understand that for almost 4 decades the Crown (State Government) granted the Hobart City Council (HCC) a lease over the site (on Crown land) and the HCC sublet the site to the STBA for a nominal rental of around $1 per year.