Member Update from EA Board

Dear Members, 

The Equestrian Australia Board would like to provide an update on the areas the Board has been working on in recent months. When the Board was elected, three priorities were identified for the sport - (1) develop and implement an effective ICT plan (2) strengthen the organisation’s cash reserves and profitability, and (3) review the High Performance Program.

Since the October 2012 meeting, the Board has conducted a full review of the current IT platform and after seeking independent advice, has put forward the recommendation to the State Branches for the sport to remain with the current system. In coming to this decision the Board examined a number of options including modified national database and other variations of commercially available products. In view of the costs of other systems and the significant investment already made in equnect, the Board decided to remain with the current system.

While there are still areas of improvement required, EA will work closely with the States to ensure the system improvements and upgrades best meet the needs of the Branches and the wider membership. The Board is examining funding options for the necessary work required and these will include seeking Government support as well as possible participation with other third party providers. The funding requirements are an additional build cost and further ongoing support. Whilst some of these costs can be absorbed by our current budget it is very clear that further funds will be required. Depending on funding availability we would aim to have the revamped system operating, at least in part, by July 2013.

The Board has effectively completed a full review of the financials and is pleased to report that EA is in a solid financial position. One of the outcomes of the review is a decision to implement a new accounting system which will provide much better information and will strengthen EA’s financial accountability. The new system will enable us to better manage our High Performance program and our operations generally.

As previously reported, the High Performance review from the London Olympic cycle is coming to a close and EA will look to release the findings from the Board review in the coming weeks. The outcomes from both the EA Board review and the Australian Sports Commission review will provide clear recommendations designed to further enhance and improve EA’s High Performance strategies in relation to sport development, coaching, veterinary services and team selection.

There are many lessons to be learned from our London campaign with clearer and better communicated selection criteria at the heart of new strategies. EA is committed to working with the Australian Olympic Committee regarding the nomination of team members and the management of any appeals. There is no doubt that this area caused much controversy and did not assist team harmony. We know that social media played an important role in the communication process and not always to the betterment of the team or the sport. Most sports are reviewing their athlete agreements and their social media policies, particularly during the lead up to important competitions. We will follow suit.

In addition to the three main priorities the Board has focused on, work has also progressed with the State Branches on reviewing the national membership structure to look at ways to better streamline the memberships across the country. This project is ongoing and further updates will be provided over the coming months. This has proved to be most challenging as we strive to balance the needs and priorities of the many subsets of our sport. However, we are sure everyone would agree that increasing our base and our membership can only benefit us all.

The Equestrian Australia Board is pleased with the progress that has been made across all priorities areas but also acknowledges there is further work to be done and updates will be provided on each project.

There are exciting programs that are being rolled out including the junior development program ‘Ready Set Trot’ that has already seen many riding schools and Clubs join up to ensure more young people are taking part in the sport.

We would like to thank the State Branches for working closely with the EA Board and staff to continue to progress the national programs. We also thank those members who have contacted us to provide feedback across numerous areas.

A letter to the membership will be provided on the EA website following each EA Board meeting. If you would like to provide further feedback or have any queries, please feel free to contact us. 

Regards,

Paul Biancardi                          Grant Baldock

Chairman                                  CEO