Who We Are

Chairperson's
Report - 2022

Annual General Meeting
Thursday 3 November 2022

Acknowlegement of Country

I acknowledge and pay respect to the land and the traditional families of the Yugambeh region of South East Queensland, including the Kombumerri, Mununjali, Wangerriburra and others, and their Elders past present and emerging.

Our Mission

Sport Access Foundation continues to deliver on Our Mission of helping Aussie Kids with a disability to play and participate in sport.

We achieve Our Mission by offering grants to Australian children with a disability, so that they have an opportunity to play and participate in sport.

A Message from our Chairperson

On behalf of the Sport Access Foundation Board I am pleased to be presenting this Chairperson’s update for our 6th year.

It's been a year of re-integration for many of us coming out of COVID, as life begins to return to what we had prior to the pandemic. This has included being back in our workplace, our schools and our sporting clubs. Still there were hurdles to overcome at the beginning of 2022, with the bushfires in parts of our country in January followed by floods in March which were devastating for many regions. It has also been a continual process of readjustment as there are many new ways we do things including more virtual services and interactions online. There is no doubt human connection and connection through our communities and sporting club is as at an all important high. Our young Australians have shown great adversity over these last three years, and it is a relief for many of us, and parents, schools and clubs to see them being able to access their sport, socialise with friends and enjoy events. Thanks to the hard work of our grassroot volunteers who have kept their clubs afloat and returned to almost normal levels of competition this year. Sporting clubs are the backbone to many of our recipients social development and lifelong interpersonal and sport literacy skills.

This year I had a number of speaking engagements and events to attend, and two I wanted to mention here. One was with Little Athletics NSW annual conference. A conference that had been postponed for two years running. A familiar story to all of us. To be there among the 120 plus Presidents, Treasurers, Officials and CEO's was truly a wonderful occasion. It was the simplicity of gathering, sharing ideas and talking about how we wanted to improve access to sport for all that really rejuvenated and lifted all of us. The commitment of Little Athletics NSW and Little Athletics Australia to providing an inclusive sport is evident in the number of applications we receive each year of young Australians with disability enjoying the sport of Athletics.

The second event was Casino Fun Run, whom was awarded a Sport Access Foundation grant to improve participation of young indigenous children and teenagers, particularly girls and secondly to ensure a fun run that is accessible and inclusive for all. This town located on the Northern Rives of NSW, has survived both bushfires and floods in recent times and also the impact of COVID. To attend the launch with the local mayor and sponsors, and all the volunteers, had everyone joyful and excited. After a two year absence, the Fun Run was back and you could sense that the community was finding itself again.


With the continual investment of our Founding Partner, BlueScope, Sport Access Foundation delivered our annual grants program.

Thanks to the support of BlueScope we were able to continue to provide our annual sporting grants program. We have now identified that our key four segments are for children 7-12 years who need a KickStart, 13-17 years who are on the sporting journey and need to overcome barriers such as equipment to participate, our Sporting Clubs who need extra investment for their inclusion programs and our marquee grant - Pathway to Paralympics for those at the top of their sport aged 13-17 years.

We offered $19,000 in grants across our four grant types, and 14 individuals and 4 clubs were awarded.

This year we also witnessed many of our major sporting events also returning to full competition and engagement. The highlight for many was the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Many would know the Commonwealth Games is an integrated event with a select number of para-sporting events included in the schedule, following on from the successful establishment of this integration from the Gold Coast Games in 2018. Congratulations to our 2017 Honour Roll Member Col Pearse who won a gold medal in swimming (butterfly) at his debut Games, and also Kiera Stephens 2020 Honour Roll who won bronze in swimming (breaststroke). It was also wonderful to witness Jamieson Leeson, 2020 Honour Roll, win her first world championship medal in Boccia, in Rio. Many other recipients have continued to excel and win at Nationals and State Championships and we congratulate all of you. We are also thrilled to follow and read on all recipients who are continuing on with their sports and enjoying regular participation.

Our Partners

Founding Partner: BlueScope

BlueScope our founding partner provides significant resources for the foundation to develop and cement its position as a leading children’s sporting charity in Australian sport.

We were thrilled to have renewed our contract with BlueScope for a further three years, to 2025. Thank you to CEO Mark Vasella and the BlueScope board for your continual support. We are excited that a project that has been in development for the last two years in collaboration with our Agency Partner Tribal (DDB Group) and BlueScope's Australia business is well underway and look forward to sharing more of this in the near future.

Major Partners:

  • Tribal (DDB Group): Agency Consultant Partner
  • Tagzart Design: Web & Graphic Design Partner
  • Roberts & Morrow: Financial Partner
  • Zoggs Australia: Sport Product and Merchandise Partner

Foundation Resource Partners:

Compeat Performance

  • To implement regular communications to recipients on their services
  • Our preferred partner for applicants seeking nutritional support

Inclusion Alliance Australia

  • A group combining Deaf Sports, Blind Sport and Sport Inclusion Australia
  • Provide resources for SAF to share 
  • Give SAF visibility across their networks 

Sporting Wheelies & Disabled Association

  • Sport for people with disability

2022 Grants Program

This year we offered $19,000 in sporting grants.

We were excited to continue our partnership with Compeat Performance, a leading Australian nutrition company that services Australia’s leading sporting teams and athletes including the Matildas.

As the grant naming rights, we were able to support the funding of the two $1,500 Compeat Performance Pathway to Paralympics Grants as well a nutrition package total value of each grant is $2,880 for 13 to 17 year olds who have started to achieve goals towards national or international competition.

This grant of $1,500 each was awarded to:

  • Abbie Peet - Tamworth, NSW, Athletics, 14 years old
  • Cameron Jones - Adelaide, SA, Kayak, 17 years old

As our Founding partner, we provided the BlueScope Sporting Club Grant.

This grant was to support sporting clubs with the for new and upgraded equipment such as marquees, lights, accessible club room and restrooms, accessible technology for club digital, cost to implement programs specifically for children with a disability and / or education of club officials/coaches/volunteers on working with children with a disability.

This grant of $2,000 each was awarded to:

  • Top End Western Horse Club - Mareeba, QLD
  • SA Wheelchair Basketball Association - Lightsview, SA
  • All Abilities Cheer & Dance - Beverley, SA
  • Riding for the Disabled (HorsePower Collie) - Preston Settlement, WA

We provided the Sport Access Foundation Kickstart Grant for 7 to 12 year olds to help pay for Club registration fees, carer cost, extra coaching, team uniforms or travel to participate in the sport.

This grant of $1,000 each was awarded to:

  • James Wilson - Warrane, TAS, Boccia, 17 years old
  • Atticus Crevatin-Gunn - Allens Rivulet, TAS, Sailing/Yachting, 13 years old
  • Michael Moss - Henrietta, TAS, Equestrian, 12 years old
  • James Gittus - Gagebrook, TAS, Judo, 10 years old

The No Barriers Grant was also offered to help young Australians aged 7-12 with a disability over come initial start-up costs to participate in sport.

This grant of $500 each was awarded to:

  • Olivia Earl - South Tamworth, NSW, Athletics, 12 years old
  • Ashton Zielinski - North Gosford, NSW, BMX, 13 years old
  • Matthew Rimmer - Douglas, QLD, Martial Arts, 8 years old'
  • Oliver Hamelink - Bakers Creek, QLD, Table Tennis, 11 years old
  • Angus Brinson - Secret Harbour, WA, Swimming, 7 years old
  • Alison Landers - Harrisdale, WA, Gymnastics, 8 years old
  • Kater Elmer-Gray - Bullsbrook, WA, Wheelchair Basketball, 10 years old
  • Nakeata Zaknich - Huntingdale, WA, Goalball, 16 years old

Thank you to our 2022 Independent Grant Panel 

  • Matt Levy OAM - 5 x Paralympian
  • Charles Brice - Journalist, ABC Breakfast
  • Leon Loganathan - Partner, Ward Keller
  • Kerri Thurlow - Executive, BlueScope

Our Board Members 

Thank you to my fellow Board Members for your continuing service to our Mission and changing lives of young Australians with a disability.

  • Grantley Creighton
  • Kristie Keast
  • Matthew Kelly
  • Martin Kelly
  • Morgan Lander
  • Andrew Martin
  • Rosey McGrath (resigned 15 August 2022)
  • Bernadette Murray

Applicants, Parents and Carers and all our Recipients

Thank you to all our applicants who applied in 2022, there were 120 and unfortunately we weren't able to award all. We are honoured to receive your applications and encourage you to apply again in 2023. Thank you to all the many of the parents and carers I speak to from the recipients and in the broader community for your commitment to improving the lives of not only your young child, but also the education and advocacy you do in your own way each day.

Finally, I would like to thank all our donors and supporters at large. Your support and donation makes a huge difference. We appreciate your support in advocating and sharing the work of Sport Access Foundation, and we look forward to building a bigger grant pool to ensure we can meet the needs of all young Australians to their participation in sport.

Katie Kelly OAM

Grants Program

SAF provides annual grants for children and young people with a disability. These grants can be used for any project that helps to build participation in sport.
Our Grants

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First Nations

Sport Access Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community.
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Sport Access Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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