Supporting Our Future Champions: Aussie Athlete Fund

As the Founder of the Aussie Athlete Fund, I'm incredibly proud to share the progress and success of this initiative. With the Paris Games just around the corner, athlete funding is a hot topic, and the Aussie Athlete Fund is stepping up to ensure that financial barriers don't stand in the way of our amazing athletes' dreams. The Aussie Athlete Fund was even profiled on the front page of The Australian Business Review, highlighting the importance of this movement.

The Aussie Athlete Fund: Empowering Athletes for Success

The Aussie Athlete Fund was established to create a sustainable athlete economy, ensuring that our next generation can proudly wear the green and gold without financial stress. We provide comprehensive support through the Athlete Fundraising Academy by etrainu, where athletes learn vital skills in building networks, confidence, and fundraising strategies. This program includes coaching and mentoring from me and other experienced athletes, who have proudly represented Australia and navigated the challenging path from emerging to elite athletes. Our ‘Green and Gold Greats’ hold a wealth of knowledge, experience, and stories that can inspire the next generation and guide them on their journey to financial success parallel to their athletic pursuits.

 

Why We Need the Aussie Athlete Fund

Unlike commercial sports such as rugby league and cricket, most Olympians don't have professional contracts, regular wages, superannuation, or the safety nets that come with them. Many talented athletes are denied the opportunity to pursue their dreams of representing Australia because they or their families can't afford the escalating costs of training, competition, travel, and living expenses. The Aussie Athlete Fund was created to bridge this gap, providing education and opportunities for businesses and individuals to support our athletes.

Almost half of Australia's best athletes earn below the poverty line threshold, with a total combined (from all sources) annual income of less than $23,000 (ASF, 2023). The costs involved in competing at an elite level can be overwhelming, making it nearly impossible for athletes to earn a living wage while balancing training, competition, recovery, work, study, and day-to-day life. Many talented and driven athletes quit or burn out because of these financial pressures.

The $1 Million Challenge, Powered by Ampol

This year, we're excited to launch the inaugural $1 Million Challenge, powered by Ampol. Our goal for 2024 is to pair 100 athletes with 100 businesses, each aiming to fundraise $10,000 as a team. This challenge provides fundraising education, inspiration from our ‘Green and Gold Greats’, mentoring support, guest speaker opportunities, events and networking plus being available for ongoing assistance throughout the athletes' journey.

The athletes and businesses (as a team) have 6 months (May - October) to raise their $10,000 through a range of initiatives that they choose to activate by developing their Athlete FundRaising roadmap.  Along the way there are incentive prizes for achieving fundraising  milestones. Then, at the end of the challenge in November, we will be presenting some awards at a Ministry of Sport Awards dinner. There is one more exciting announcement for a little later on, for what happens after the awards... Stay tuned! 

 

Aussie Athlete Fund Success Stories

We’ve already seen some awesome success stories from athletes, organisations, and individuals who have teamed up for the $1 Million Challenge, powered by Ampol!

• PeopleIn and Hudson Brown (pictured above): For PeopleIn, sport is a thread that unifies their staff, clients, and suppliers. The Brisbane-based organisation are keen supporters of local talent and have partnered with trampoline gymnast, Hudson Brown. Together, they have created a robust fundraising campaign, including a trivia event that raised $1,000 towards Hudson’s goal. PeopleIn are also mentoring Hudson on how to network, tell his story, build connections, and ultimately raise his own money.
   
• The Watch Factory and Jeff Dunne: The Watch Factory have come on board to support breakdancer Jeff Dunne. The owner's grandchildren, Zara and Hudson, are raising funds through creative initiatives like raffles featuring Zara's original paintings!
   
• Kayla Waller and AFS Group (pictured below): AFS Group, a safety and compliance consultancy, are showcasing their commitment to nurturing local talent by teaming up with softball player Kayla Waller and making her a brand ambassador.

 

Join Us and Make a Difference

Whether you're an athlete looking to learn how to fundraise, or a business or individual interested in supporting our athletes, we want you on our team! 

We’ve already teamed up half of our athletes with supporters, and we’re looking for more! Every connection and donation helps in creating a sustainable athlete economy and ensuring our athletes have the support they need to succeed on and off the sporting field.

Visit the Aussie Athlete Fund website to learn more and find out how you can get involved. Let's work hard to support these green and gold dreams becoming a reality, so we can continue to cheer on our athletes, knowing we’ve played an important part in their success. 

Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!!!