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The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) continues to offer financial assistance for young sporting champions

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IMAGE: Rachel Walker Photography

BMXA members are encouraged to apply for the Australian Government’s ‘Local Sporting Champions’ (LSC) grant, especially with an array of state BMX championships on the horizon.

The LSC program is an initiative designed to provide financial assistance for young sportsmen and women aged 12-18. Successful applicants receive a $500 grant that can be used towards the cost of travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment when competing, coaching or officiating at an official national sporting organisation (NSO) endorsed event.

Events include state, national or international sporting championships, or a School Sport Australia state, national or international championships.

NOTE: In November 2017 BMXA advised that the 2018 BMXA National Series would meet the criteria laid out for this grant. It has since been clarified by the ASC that only the BMXA National Championships will be considered, and that the BMXA National Series cannot be used in the application process. However, all existing applications that have listed the BMXA National Series will be honoured.

To be eligible for the grant, an applicant must meet a strict criterion, which can be seen HEREor at the base of this article.

Applications for this grant are done online and take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

You can save an application from step six onwards and complete it at a later point. Saved applications will expire if not completed within 28 days. A reminder email will be sent seven days prior to the expiration of a draft email.

Remember that to be eligible for this grant, you must submit your application prior to the commencement of the nominated championships.

Submitted applications will be acknowledged through a system-generated email sent to your nominated email address. It will include a copy of the submitted application. It is recommended that you keep a copy of the email, as you will no longer have access to the application once submitted.

MORE INFORMATION

APPLY: Local Sporting Champions Grant

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible to apply for a Local Sporting Champions grant, young people must meet the following criteria:

• Be turning 12 to 18 years of age in the same calendar year as the nominated sporting championship.
• Be an Australian citizen or have been granted permanent resident status, residing in Australia.
• Be participating as an athlete, coach, umpire or referee in:
  • an official state championships endorsed by the relevant Australian Sports Commission (ASC) recognised national sporting organisation (NSO), or
  • an official state school sport championship endorsed by a School Sport Australia member body, or
  • an official national championships endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised NSO, or
  • a national school sport championships endorsed by School Sport Australia, or
  • an international competition as a member of an official Australian team, endorsed by an ASC recognised NSO or School Sport Australia.
• Be living more than 125km from the championship venue, and travelling greater than 250km return to participate in the nominated championship.
• Must complete and submit application to the ASC prior to the nominated championship commencing.
• Must not have received a Local Sporting Champions grant for an application submitted in the same allocation year (1 March – 28/29 February).
• Must not have received $500 or more in federal government funding for the nominated championship.
• Must not be participating in a professional competition that involves prize money greater than $500.

Note: Saved applications must be completed and submitted prior to the championship.