2025 Sports Industry Conference PROGRAM RELEASE

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SPORT:

Navigating Funding, Trends, Inclusion and Leadership in a Changing Landscape

Sport NSW is delighted to release the program for the 2025 NSW Sports Industry Conference.

The event will be held on Friday, 28th February 2025 at the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) in Sydney Olympic Park.

The 2025 Sports Industry Conference will be an exciting gathering for industry professionals, offering a rich program filled with expert speakers and critical discussions on the future of sports in Australia. With a focus on funding strategies, innovative trends, and leadership, this year’s conference promises to inspire and equip sports leaders with the knowledge and tools to drive progress in the sector.

We're thrilled to share what you can look forward to at the upcoming conference. Along with hearing from prominent figures like The Hon. Stephen Kamper MP, Minister for Sport, Alisa Camplin AM, Olympic Champion and Chef de Mission of the Winter Olympics team, and Adam Berry, Acting CEO of the Office of Sport, attendees will gain valuable insights from key sessions and presentations, including:

KEYNOTE PANEL

The Funding of Sport Governing Bodies: Recent Developments and Future Plans
Panellists: Karen Jones (Acting CEO, Destination NSW), Richard McInnes (EGM Sport and Community Capability, Australian Sports Commission), Ron Zubrik (Managing Director, Torch Advisory Group, Former Global Head of Sport, KPMG)

Governing bodies have experienced shifts in their funding through initiatives such as the NSW Government’s Organisation Support Program and the Australian Sports Commission’s "Win Well" and "Play Well" programs. Facilitated by Stuart Hodge, this session will explore the critical role of this funding, examining its impact on sports organisations. The panel will also discuss the long-term implications of these funding changes, potential opportunities for growth, and the evolving landscape of financial support for sports organisations.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The Top Trends Shaping 2025: Demographic, Social and Generational Insights for NSW Sport Leaders
Presenter: Geoff Brailey (Social Researcher, McCrindle)

Understanding the transformative trends set to shape 2025 is critical for those managing participation in sport across NSW. Rapid social, demographic and economic shifts are occurring in our society impacting all the generations in unique ways. In this session, drawing on McCrindle’s strategic expertise and data-driven insights for the year ahead, Geoff Brailey will give sport leaders an engaging overview of the evolving landscape and the key trends impacting participation and engagement of sport.

It will cover critical areas such as consumer expectations, demographic shifts within communities, economic conditions, and generational changes and responses to new technology, providing sports leaders with valuable insights to prepare for and lead through the trends that are poised to shape the sporting landscape in NSW in 2025 and beyond.

Resilience and Leadership: in conversation with Alisa Camplin
Speaker: Alisa Camplin AM (Olympic and World Champion Freestyle Aerial Skiing, Non-Executive Company Director, First Female Chef de Mission for the Australian Winter Olympic Team, Milano Cortina 2026)

 As Australia’s first female Winter Olympic Gold Medallist, Alisa Camplin knows what it takes to achieve and sustain excellence. She has conquered the intense physical, mental, and emotional challenges required to reach the pinnacle of her sport—and stay there.

In an inspiring conversation with Casey Dellacqua, Alisa will draw on her experiences both in sport and in the boardroom, including from her directorship at Collingwood FC to her executive career at IBM. She will share powerful insights on resilience and leadership, equipping you with the strategies needed to navigate tough environments, seize opportunities, and achieve sustained success—no matter the challenge.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Pathways to Participation – Engaging New Participants Through a Different Lens
Facilitator: Kerry Turner (Manager Partnerships and Participation, NSW Office of Sport), will chat with presenters: Adam Wicks (CEO, Triathlon NSW), Dr Juanita Weissensteiner (Principal Advisor, NSW Office of Sport), Rebecca Neale (Executive Officer, South East Sports Academy) and Julie Stafford (Female Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Cricket NSW)

This session will showcase innovative strategies to engage and retain new participants in sports, with case studies highlighting creative approaches to growing participation across various sports.

The ‘Game-Changing’ Role of AI in Sport: An Interaction and Experiential Workshop
Presenter: Alex Mednis (CEO, RevolutioniseSPORT)

This session will explore practical uses of AI in everyday sport: from organising competitions to reviewing documents. Designed to be immersive and interactive, this session will teach you the fundamental skills in using AI in your own organisation.

Tips for successfully securing event funding

Further information to be provided

Australian Sports Commission update – including cost of sport survey
Presenter: Cameron French (GM, Participation, Australian Sports Commission)

Cameron will provide an update on the ASC’s latest initiatives, including early insights from the Cost of Sport survey—an important project aimed at making community sport more accessible and affordable for all.

Practical Hacks for Inclusion: What Works and What Doesn’t
Facilitator: Rachal Allan (Project Coordinator, NSW Office of Sport) and presenters Katherine Owen (Biostatistician, University of Sydney) and Mardi Aplin (GM Performance and Pathways, Netball NSW)

 Katherine will present findings from her evaluation of the Sport NSW Activate Inclusion Sports days and community seminars, delivered through the Sport NSW Disability Inclusion Project.  The session will deep-dive into participant and carer experiences providing recommendations for future events and programs delivered by State Sporting Organisations.

Rachel will lead a discussion with Mardi, offering an overview of Netball NSW's Indigenous participation and pathways programs, covering areas including; the steps Netball NSW has taken to engage participants, the structure of the pathway, offer recommendations for sports organisations looking to develop and engage, discuss challenges faced, and how they adapted and pivoted, and finally how Netball NSW is embedding the program and its learnings into the organisation.

Sports Media: Where to next for Social Media in Australian Sport?
Presenter: Stu Williams (Managing Director, Shunt Applied Creative)

Stu Williams will discuss the evolving role of social media in Australian sport, providing an overview of recent trends and offering strategic insights into the future direction of social media for sporting organisations.

A must attend for anyone working in sport looking to further their knowledge across a range of relevant topics.

Do not miss out – REGISTER NOW

Click on image to download the 2025 Conference Program