Ice Sports Victoria - a brief history
Ice Sports Victoria was an initiative of Sport & Recreation Victoria’s (SRV) Tom Frosell. The idea was to combine the four key ice sports in Victoria. Why? To assist the sports operate on a united front in terms of grant applications, development initiatives, governance procedures and event marketing.
The four ice sports that make up Ice Sports Victoria are
1. Ice Hockey Victoria
2. Ice Skating Victoria
3. Victorian Ice racing Association
4. Victorian Curling Association.
When these sports are combined their membership base is in excess of 2000. Presenting a united ice sports front:
encourages larger and smaller ice sports to collaborate on various initiatives
allows for the support and growth of all ice sports
supports the development of new ice surfaces in Victoria.
The Ice Sports Victoria journey started in 2005 with SRV engaging the services of @leisure to prepare a strategic document and business plan for:
1. Ice Hockey Victoria
2. Ice Skating Victoria, Victorian Ice racing Association, and the Victorian Curling Association.
The strategic document was directed by Sport and Recreation Victoria. The brief was simple, each sport was to meet with the consultants to provide information on their requirements. The first person to Chair Ice Sports Victoria was Cathy Taylor; the organisation became officially incorporated in 2009.
With any endeavour the initial stages are often the most challenging and it is a credit to Cathy Taylor that Ice Sports Victoria has, some ten years since it became incorporated, firmly established itself as the peak body for ice sports in Victoria. Current Ice Sports Victoria President, Pam Cavanagh, was elected in 2009.
Some of the challenges, and work, Ice Sports Victoria undertook prior to its offical incorporation included, running coaching courses for all sports (to assist the different ice sports to understand each other); the development of branding / promotional material, and various resources. These included governance procedures, adherence to national and international standards, social media and website.
Sport and Recreation Victoria played a key role in the initial development of Ice Sports Victoria. It continues to do this through the ongoing development and strategic direction of Ice Sports Victoria; and by providing a transparent and timely conduit between Ice Sports Victoria and the wider social and sporting communities. This relationship is pertinent in areas such as: Child Protection, good governance, Play by the Rules, and inclusive participation polices and practices.
