28 sporting organisations allocated grants from event surplus

Amateur sport is to receive nearly three quarters of a million dollars thanks to Auckland hosting the World Masters Games last year.

World Masters Games 2017 (WMG2017), which wrapped up a year ago today, generated a surplus of $831,000. After a grant of $50,000 to New Zealand Masters Games, the balance is being allocated to key sporting organisations involved in WMG2017.

WMG2017 had more than 28,000 participants (more than an Olympic Games), generated $34.2m and 241,480 visitor nights for the Auckland regional economy and was declared the ‘best ever’ by the rights holder, the International Masters Games Association.

WMG2017 Ltd was a subsidiary of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), which invests in major events on behalf of Auckland Council in order to generate economic and social benefits for Auckland and its people.

ATEED General Manager Destination Steve Armitage says the ethos of the World Masters Games is to promote and encourage participation in sport throughout life, for people of all abilities.

“World Masters Games 2017 was one of largest events Auckland has hosted in its history, in terms of participants, venues, range of sporting disciplines, visitor attraction and injecting new money into the region. Aucklanders turned out in their thousands to participate, volunteer and watch, and it’s fitting that WMG2017 continues to benefit the region and our people, boosting amateur sports across the 28 codes featured in WMG2017.”

“Major events are an internationally proven mechanism for driving economic and social development for cities, and WMG2017 has been a textbook example of how an event of this scale can deliver for its host city and its people.”

WMG2017 Chief Executive Jennah Wootten says, “It is wonderful to see the WMG2017 amateur sport legacy lives on as a direct result of the immense combined effort from Sport Partners and the Local Organising Committee. WMG2017 has reinforced that major events, when planned and delivered strategically, deliver significant economic and social benefits.”

The WMG2017 surplus will be allocated partly by direct grant and partly via application to a contestable fund.

Of the $781,000 balance, half of the surplus funds ($390,500) will be distributed by direct grant to the 28 primary sport partner organisations involved in the Games. The remaining half ($390,500) will be distributed to the same sports via a WMG2017 Legacy Fund.

The direct grants include a fixed component of $6,973 for each sport, and a further award that is prorated based on the number of participants who participated in the sport in WMG2017.

The organisations are also invited to submit a single application for funding of up to $16,000.

They can apply to the fund for initiatives that will benefit Auckland amateur sports, such as bidding for and/or staging an event; capability building relating to events; to put towards infrastructure upgrades; purchasing sporting equipment; or strategic planning support.

A panel including representatives from ATEED and Aktive – Auckland Sport & Recreation will assess the applications. Applications will be open from 1 May – 31 July 2018, assessed during August and will be announced in September 2018.

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