Significant Sporting Event Program guidelines

On this page

1. Background
2. Program overview
3. Eligibility
4. What is the grant for?
5. Application process
6. Assessment process
7. Funding conditions
8. Privacy and confidentiality
9. Department probity and decision making
10. Applicant conflict of interest
11. Complaints

Fully accessible program guidelines can be found on this page or you can download a copy via the following links.

1. Background

Active Victoria is the Victorian Government’s strategic framework for sport and recreation. Active Victoria provides the vision and strategic direction that guide Sport and Recreation Victoria’s activities and investment in support of the sector.

The refreshed Active Victoria 2022-2026 outlines six priority objectives including:

• increasing equitable participation in sport and active recreation
• delivering quality infrastructure that is accessible, respectful and inclusive
• building the capability of the sport and active recreation workforce
• implementing good governance practices to ensure a safe and sustainable sector
• supporting a pipeline of sporting events within the Victorian events calendar
• encouraging Victorians to achieve success at the highest level through high performance.

Further information on Active Victoria can be found at Active Victoria 2022-2026.

2. Program Overview

The Significant Sporting Events Program (SSEP) is a Victorian Government funding program that assists event organisers to enhance the delivery of national or international level sporting events in Victoria. The sport must be recognised by the Australian Sports Commission and the event must be sanctioned by the recognised national or international sporting body.

Since its inception in 2010, the SSEP has secured over 1000 events with more than half to be staged in regional Victoria.

Objectives

The SSEP is designed to:

• support the development of, or expansion of, existing sporting events, or to attract new events to Victoria
• build capability of the Victorian sporting sector, and their workforce, to host high quality, inclusive sporting events
• extend the activities around national and international events to encourage more Victorians to engage in, and develop their skills in, active sport
• support the development of high performance and talent pathways for athletes, and potential athletes, of all abilities
• drive economic activity across the state and in local communities surrounding sporting events
• grow Victoria’s reputation as a leader in delivering world class sporting events
• provide a platform to deliver government to government outcomes and foster sport diplomacy relations.

Outcomes

The anticipated outcomes from the SSEP program are:

• more Victorians are attending and actively engaging in national and international sporting events
• Victorian sporting bodies have more capability and capacity to host significant sporting events
• athletes have more opportunities to participate in events that encourage high-performance and talent development, including those of all ages, genders, sexualities, ethnicities and cultures
• supported events are driving growth in the local visitor economies
• Victoria’s national and international sporting events are run more inclusively.

Grant types

The SSEP has 2 streams of grants available.

* Higher grant amounts may be available and will be considered on a case-by-case basis by Sport and Recreation Victoria.

The final funding amount will be determined in relation to the scale of the event and key outcomes measured against the assessment criteria; only one grant is available for the same event, per year.

Funding rounds

The SSEP has 6 funding rounds each financial year. Applications must be received a minimum of 6 months prior to the event.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications at the earliest opportunity taking into consideration the length of time the round is open and the time it takes for assessment.

Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application at least 2 months prior to the event.

Applications may be considered outside these timelines on a case-by-case basis by Sport and Recreation Victoria and will only be granted under exceptional circumstances.

3. Eligibility

Event eligibility

Eligible sporting events must:

• be delivered in Victoria
• be a sport recognised by the Australian Sports Commission and listed as the National Sporting Organisation for their sport in Australia on the Australian Sports Directory
• be nationally or internationally sanctioned by a recognised sporting body and meet the criteria of at least one Event Type as detailed below
• occur at least 6 months after the date of the submitted application
• offer equal prize money for people of all genders, where prize money is awarded.

Applications for multi-year events and events that are subject to a bid process that otherwise meet the program criteria are acceptable.

Event Type

Eligible events must meet all the criteria for one of the following event types.

Events that are not eligible

The SSEP will not allocate funding to support:

• events that do not strongly align with the SSEP outcomes
• community or state level events
• sport or business conferences including trade shows
• charity fundraising events
• events that have received funding from the Victorian Government’s Major Event Fund for the same event in the same year
• retrospective funding where event delivery has commenced or is completed.

Organisational eligibility

To be eligible, an organisation must:

• be the organisation with the rights to host the eligible event
• be an incorporated body, cooperative or association (including business associations)
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be financially solvent
• provide evidence of public liability insurance coverage to a value appropriate for the event
• have satisfactorily met reporting requirements on any grants received from the Victorian Government
• comply with the Child Safe Standards if required under the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005
• if it was named in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse or has received notice that it has been named in an application for redress to the National Redress Scheme:
  • have joined the National Redress Scheme, or
  • intend to join the National Redress Scheme within 6 months of receiving the relevant notice, or
  • have been deemed ineligible to join the National Redress Scheme
• if funding is to be used to deliver services that fall within the scope of the Victorian Funding Guideline for Services to Children, hold appropriate insurance against child abuse.

Information to help you determine whether your event is within the scope of the Victorian Funding Guideline for Services to Children is set out in section 7, Funding Conditions.

4. What is the grant for?

In the application process, applicants will be asked to identify the specific elements of the event that SSEP funding will support.

Examples of costs the SSEP could support

SSEP costs could support:

• general operational delivery of the event e.g. venue hire, temporary infrastructure, sport presentation
• delivery of additional sport development, capacity building and/or community engagement activities e.g. coaching clinics, school visits, officials accreditation courses, community come and try sessions
• marketing and promotional activities to grow awareness of the sport in connection with the event
• broadcast and/or web stream costs.

Ineligible expenses

The SSEP will not fund:

• the cost of preparing submissions for grants or event bids
• the cost of engaging consultants to undertake feasibility projects
• purchase of assets for ongoing use, including but not limited to land, buildings, vehicles, permanent infrastructure and equipment
• recurring operational costs, including but not limited to rent, utility costs, wages and maintenance activities.

5. Application Process

There are several common features in successful applications.

Good applications are:

• well planned;
• clearly demonstrate how the event delivers against the assessment criteria; and
• provide the appropriate supporting documentation.

Applications should address the activities and outcomes that will be achieved specifically as a result of the event, not outcomes that are the result of business-as-usual activities conducted by your organisation.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility

Read the SSEP guidelines in full and check the detailed information contained in these guidelines to determine if your organisation and the proposed event are eligible.

Step 2: Stakeholder consultation

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their event with agencies such as venues, local councils and sporting associations. Where possible, applicants should demonstrate the support of key stakeholders in their applications.

Step 3: Apply online

All applications must be made online via the Significant Sporting Events Program webpage.

Ensure you have the required information on hand and click on ‘Start New Application’ to submit your application. You will receive an Application Number when you apply online; please quote this number in all correspondence relating to your application.

If you experience any issues with submitting your application, please contact us.

Supporting documentation

The following documentation is mandatory and will be requested as part of the application form:

• Event summary – ‘one-pager’ including scope of event, marketing/promotional milestones, broadcast and/or livestream details, sport development and community engagement opportunities and event schedule/roster
• Event budget – must include all income and expenses including financial support beyond the Victorian Government (draft budgets will be accepted). Applications for multi-years will require a budget to be submitted for each year of the event. Budget figures should be GST exclusive.
• Letter of sanctioning – from the recognised sporting organisation confirming the level and sanctioning of the event. For international level events, a letter from the recognised international body is strongly encouraged.

Other supporting documentation may be provided where relevant or appropriate including:

• Marketing Plan / Social Media Strategy
• Previous event reports or evaluations
• Sport development and/or community engagement plan
• Evidence of confirmation of other funding sources for event e.g. letter from local council.

Documents should be attached to your online application in acceptable file types (e.g. Word, Excel, PDF). Maximum file size must not exceed 5MB. When submitting your application online check carefully to ensure all your attachments have been uploaded correctly.

Financial risk assessment

For grant applications greater than $50,000, financial accounts are required including at a minimum:

• Audited Financial Reports for the last 3 financial years. This should be the ‘final accounts’ with Directors’ Report and Declaration, and should include:
  • Profit and Loss Statement
  • Balance Sheet
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Notes to the accounts (if applicable).

If the applicant’s financial reports are not audited, unaudited financial reports can only be accepted if they have been prepared by an accountant registered on the Tax Practitioner Board.

• Where the Audited or Accountant prepared financials for the most recent reporting period is more than 6 months, the following are required:
  • Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet
  • In case of public listed corporations, half yearly financial report.
• For applications for multi-year events, the financial projections for the next 3 financial years including:
  • Profit and Loss
  • Cash Flow.

6. Assessment Process

Only eligible applications submitted by eligible applicants will be assessed and considered for funding by Sport and Recreation Victoria. Please refer to Section 3 for eligibility requirements and Section 5 for details about the application process.

Sport and Recreation Victoria reserve the right not to assess an application where insufficient information has been provided, including responses to assessment criteria and mandatory supporting documentation.

Sport and Recreation Victoria will also consider an applicant’s past performance and the organisation’s capacity to deliver events. Compliance with past Grant Agreements and the number and duration of overdue milestones for existing events will also be considered.

This is a competitive grant program and both new and previous applicants must not assume they will be successful or enter into commitments based on that assumption before receiving formal notification of the outcome of their funding application.

Applications will be assessed using the following process:

1. applications are assessed for event and organisational eligibility and may undergo due diligence checks, including financial risk assessments where required
2. applications will be considered against the SSEP assessment criteria by Department representatives
3. funding recommendations will be made to the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events for final decision.

Decisions on all matters pertaining to the recommendation of grant funding under the SSEP is at the Department’s and the Minister’s absolute discretion. Decisions regarding funding by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events are final and no further correspondence shall be entered into regarding such decisions.

Applicants are invited to seek feedback from Sport and Recreation Victoria on unsuccessful applications.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed on how well they meet the assessment criteria. All supplementary attachments and information provided as part of the application form will be taken into consideration during the assessment process.

The following assessment criteria weightings are provided to indicate the relative importance of criteria:

Criterion 1 – Sport Development and Capacity Building (30%)

Assessment Criteria

High-performance pathways, talent identification, sport development, participation and capacity building opportunities and need for funding

Consideration

The level of significance of the event:

• where the event is placed in the national or international hierarchy of events and importance to the relevant sport
• in supporting athletes and/or teams to move through high-performance and talent development pathways e.g. allows them to get to the next level of competition
• the impact of the event for the Victorian athletes participating e.g. number of participants.

Whether the event has proposed additional sport development and capacity building activities:

• proposes sport development opportunities that are appropriate to the athlete cohort e.g. coaching clinics, conferences/seminars
• participation opportunities e.g. promotion of junior, masters competitions or modified versions of the sport
• capacity building opportunities e.g. accreditation courses for coaches/officials, on-the-job training opportunities for volunteers and officials.

Criterion 2 – Economic Benefit (20%)

Assessment Criteria

Economic benefit and visitation to the location it is being held.

Consideration

How well the event will drive economic benefit and visitation to the location relative to its size, including:

• the potential economic impact of participants (Victorian, interstate and international), including athletes, support staff, event personnel and spectators who will travel to the location specifically for the event demonstrated by metrics including number of participants, length of stay, possible daily expenditure and bed nights
• by providing local employment and the use of local suppliers to support the event.

Whether the event supports Victoria’s sporting events calendar by providing opportunities for extended visitation or visitation in low or shoulder seasons, off-peak periods.

Criterion 3 – Event Marketing, Broadcast and Branding (20%)

Assessment Criteria

How will the event build awareness of the relevant sport and enhance Victoria’s reputation as the Home of Australian sport?

Consideration

How well the application shows that the event will build awareness of the relevant sport and enhance Victoria’s reputation, including through:

• possible audience numbers for the event including in-person audiences, proposed or confirmed television broadcast or web streaming
• the potential for local, national and international media coverage and the level of development of the marketing strategy
• calibre / profile of athletes competing
• alignment with other events supported by the Victorian Government for the relevant sport i.e. pipeline of events
• whether the event is held in a Government funded venue.

Has not been held in Victoria previously or potential to keep the event in Victoria?

Criterion 4 – Strategic Alignment and Government Priorities (20%)

Assessment Criteria

How does the event align with government priorities?

Consideration

How well the application aligns with broader Government priorities including through:

• participation opportunities for under-represented communities including people with disability, LGBTIQA+ people and disengaged youth
• community engagement and connection including opportunities for locals and visitors to participate in the event e.g. school clinics, activities with local clubs and/or the community
• delivery of inclusion principles including gender equity, accessibility, affordability
• international engagement and trade (where applicable).

Criterion 5 – Capacity and Capability of Applicant (10%)

Assessment Criteria

The capacity and capability of the applicant to deliver the event.

Consideration

The ability of the applicant to run a high-quality event, as demonstrated by:

• the successful running of previous events of a similar scale
• event planning that is appropriate to the planning stage of the event, including budgeting, timing and engagement with appropriate stakeholders
• risks have been sufficiently identified
• the budgeting for the proposed grant activities is reasonable
• financial support beyond State Government funding including, but not limited to, local government.

Applicant checks

Applicants may be subject to due diligence assessments to enable the Department to assess financial and other non-financial risks associated with the application. Outcomes from such assessments may be taken into account in any decision to recommend or award a grant or in contracting with successful applicants.

The Department may, at any time, remove an applicant from the application and assessment process, if in the Department’s opinion, association with the applicant may bring the Department, a Minister or the State of Victoria into disrepute.

7. Funding Conditions

Notification of outcome

All applicants will be notified of their application outcome in writing. The successful applicant’s name, event name and the funding amount may be made publicly available, including via publication on the Department’s website and media releases.

Grant Agreement

Successful applicants must enter into a Grant Agreement with the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions within one month of receiving confirmation of a successful event application, or the funding may be withdrawn.

Grant agreements establish the parties and outline their commitments and obligations to each other, as well as setting out the general funding terms and conditions. Payments for funded events will be made in accordance with the payment milestones and deliverables set out in the Grant Agreement.

Payments are made following the delivery of the event; 80% is paid at the conclusion of the event with 20% paid upon completion of post-event reporting requirements.

A Grant Agreement is required to be executed (signed) by both parties. The Agreement sets out the:

• activity details
• funding amounts and payment schedule
• agreed milestones and deliverables
• reporting requirements, including post-event statutory declaration
• acknowledgement of support from the Victorian Government and publicity requirements
• other activity specific requirements/notices.

Funds must be spent on the Event as described in the application and outlined in the Grant Agreement unless changes are agreed to in writing.

Child Safe Standards

A recipient of SSEP funding that falls within Schedule 1 of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 must comply with the Child Safe Standards, including in delivering the Event.

Funding Guidelines for Services to Children

In accordance with the Victorian Funding Guideline for Services to Children, all non-government organisations that are funded by the Victorian Government to deliver services to children must be incorporated and insured against child abuse.

‘Services to children’ means services or activities where the organisation is responsible for the supervision of, or authority over, children (any person under the age of 18). It does not include one-off activities, or incidental or ad hoc contact with children.

If SSEP funding will be used to deliver ‘services to children’, the Department can only fund the applicant if it is incorporated and holds appropriate child abuse insurance.

National Redress Scheme

A recipient of SSEP funding must comply with the Victorian Government Policy on Institutional Participation in the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. This includes notifying the Department if it receives a notice that it has been named in an application for redress to the National Redress Scheme at any time before or during the period covered by the relevant SSEP Grant Agreement.

Other requirements

Successful recipients of SSEP funding must comply with all Laws including all applicable Commonwealth and Victorian equal opportunity, anti-discrimination, affirmative action, and privacy legislation. In addition, they must ensure their event complies with all obligations in relation to the following policies:

• Fair Play Code: the standards of behaviour expected by everyone involved in sport in Victoria
• The requirements and expectations of the Australian National AntiDoping Scheme and Australian National Anti-Doping Policy. Where the National Anti-Doping Policy is not applicable, compliance with the Victorian Anti-doping Policy is required.
• National Policy on Match-Fixing in Sport: protecting the integrity of Australian sport.

Acknowledging the Victorian Government’s support

Successful applicants are required to acknowledge the Victorian Government’s support through the provision of a grant from the Program.

Included within the promotional guidelines, is the requirement that all event activities acknowledge Victorian Government support through logo presentation on any activity – event collateral, media releases, event signage and promotional material.

SSEP funding amounts are at the discretion of the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and funding amounts are commercial-in-confidence. Successful applicants must liaise with Sport and Recreation Victoria to coordinate any opportunities to announce government support for the event.

For full details and logos, download the Acknowledgement and Publicity Guidelines for Sport and Recreation Victoria grant recipients.

Grant recipients must obtain written approval from the Department before making public announcements about receiving the grant.

The Department may publicise the benefits accruing to a grant recipient associated with the grant and the State’s support for the event. Recipients must cooperate with the Department in promoting the program. These requirements are currently outlined in the Grant Agreement. The Department may include the name of the grant recipient and the amount of funding granted in any publicity material and in the Department’s annual report.

Reporting

As a condition of funding, successful applicants will be required to participate in any program monitoring and evaluation activities initiated by the Department. This information may be used in Victorian Government reporting, program evaluation reviews or Department publications.

Reporting is critical to the Department in understanding program impact, supporting continuous improvement in program design and delivery, and delivering more effective grant programs to the people of Victoria.

8. Privacy and Confidentiality

Any personal information provided for this Program will be collected and used by the Department for the purposes of assessing eligibility, program administration, program review and evaluation.

The Department completes a range of eligibility assessments that may include data matching to clarify the accuracy and quality of information supplied. This is part of our auditing and monitoring processes and for confirming eligibility across this Program.

In the assessment of an application for the program, it may be necessary to share personal information with State and Commonwealth Government departments and agencies, as well as other external experts. If personal information about a third party is included in the application, the applicant must ensure the third party is aware of and consents to the contents of this privacy statement.

The Department collects demographic information for economic reporting purposes. No personal information is used in reporting; all reports are presented with aggregated data.

Any personal information about the applicant or a third party will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed, or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and other applicable laws.

Enquiries about access or correction to your personal information, can be sent through our contact form.

Other concerns regarding the privacy of personal information, can be emailed to the Department’s Privacy Unit at privacy@ecodev.vic.gov.au. The Department’s privacy policy is also available by emailing the Department’s Privacy Unit.

9. Department probity and decision-making

The Victorian Government makes every effort to ensure the grant application and assessment process is fair and undertaken in line with the published program guidelines.

Decisions in recommending and awarding grant funding under this program are at the Minister’s and Department’s discretion. This includes not making any funding available, approving a lesser amount than that applied for or awarding grant funding that meets other portfolio objectives.

These guidelines and application terms may be changed from time to time, as appropriate.

The Department may request the applicant provide further information should it be necessary to assess an application to the Program’s policy objectives.

Victorian Government staff are required to act in accord with the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees (Section 61) issued under the Public Administration Act 2004 (Vic). This includes an obligation to avoid conflicts of interest wherever possible and declare and manage any conflicts of interest that cannot be avoided.

10. Applicant conflict of interest

A conflict of interest arises where a person makes a decision or exercises a power in a way that may be, or may be perceived to be, influenced by either material personal interests (financial or non-financial) or material personal associations. A conflict of interest may arise where a grant applicant:

• has a professional, commercial, or personal relationship with a party who is able to, or may be perceived to, influence the application assessment process, such as a Victorian Government staff member, or
• has a relationship with, or interest in, an organisation which is likely to interfere with or restrict the applicant from carrying out the proposed activities fairly and independently.

Applicants must advise the Department of any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest relating to an event for which it has applied for funding.

For preliminary information on this or any other grant program please contact the Department Call Centre on 1800 325 206 or contact us.

11. Complaints

If an applicant wants to lodge a complaint about the process for a grant application, requests can be made to the Department through our contact form. The Program aims to respond to all complaints within 28 days.

Requests can be made in relation to adherence to the published program guidelines, communications or other aspects of the process. Re-assessment of an application or overturning of a funding decision for a merit-based grant, will not be considered.

These guidelines are subject to changes at the discretion of the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events.