DECREASED government funding for the Warren-based Far West Academy of Sport (FWAS) in recent years was a concern for promising young athletes and the host town that had invested so much in helping them fulfil their sporting dreams, according to Warren mayor Rex Wilson.
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Cr Wilson said when the facility moved from Cobar to Warren in 2007, the NSW government was providing about $300,000 in annual funding, but that figure had most recently dropped to about $150,000.
The academy’s executive officer Rodney Wright said the decreased funding was not unexpected as it had always been the plan that the academy would be “weaned off” government support as it sought increased private sponsorship.
“We are a large area, geographically 42 per cent of the state, and it is quite a feat to bring a team to Dubbo, for instance, from all those remote areas, so obviously the funding has been welcome but we would like to grow and we need financial backing to do that,” he said.
Mr Wright acknowledged it could be more difficult to find the level of corporate support in more remote areas that larger centres enjoyed, but was hopeful a re-launch of sorts at Warren on October 18, complete with a new logo and branding, would reinvigorate that sponsorship bid.
Cr Wilson said talks with Barwon MP Kevin Humphries had provided some reassurance the facility would continue to receive support and stay in its present location, but he would not rest until the government guaranteed ongoing funding for the academy.
“Otherwise there is always a chance it will eventually be seen as not financially viable and it could disband or go somewhere else,” he said.
Cr Wilson said the facility enabled a range of talented sportspeople from western NSW to pursue excellence in their chosen sport without having to move to Sydney, including financially disadvantaged youngsters who might not otherwise have received the opportunity.
“If the academy was moved further east, it would defeat its very purpose, considering you have people from Bourke, Brewarrina and Cobar who are travelling to it,” Cr Wilson said.
“People say we need to look after our youth, and there might be an argument to reduce funding if the program was not delivering, but it is actually working here.
“There are about 150 athletes in squads, of those 27 per cent come from Indigenous backgrounds.
“Academies in big cities might be able to seek corporate sponsorship, but that’s not as likely here.”
Cr Wilson said Warren had also invested a lot in its sporting facilities, so it made sense for the academy to stay put.
“Our facilities are exceptional for our size, the academy complements what we’ve been able to do with our infrastructure, and the academy is not the sort of thing you can just plonk somewhere else without that community then having to then invest in more facilities.”
