State Sporting Associations can apply

• State Sporting Associations should apply if you are looking to increase the availability and promotion of healthy food and drinks in your sport.
• Be an State Sporting Association as recognised by Sport and Recreation Victoria
• identify a sporting club with the following:
  • Over 200 members
  • canteen/retail food outlet, junior program or regular events during which food and drinks are available
  • SSAs that have been previously been successful in receiving VicHealth funding to increase participation in sport through Innovation Grants or Changing the Game are eligible to apply

To be eligible to apply for a grant, an applicant must:

• be based in Victoria and conduct activities in Victoria
• have acquitted previous grants awarded to it by VicHealth (to the satisfaction of VicHealth)

State Sporting Associations can take a leading role to make it easier for players, members, coaches, spectators and volunteers in their sport to access healthy food and drinks in sporting environments. Many sporting clubs and facilities currently offer drinks with added sugar through junior programs, canteens/retail food outlets, vending machines or bars. Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is not only better for health, but important for hydration before, during and after playing sport and being active.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend to drink plenty of water and limit sugar-sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, sports drinks, flavoured water, cordials, energy drinks, and fruit drinks. Sugary drinks are the largest source of added sugars in the Australian diet, and high consumption contributes to poor our health, in particular the risk of weight gain, some chronic diseases and increased risk of tooth decay.

Making drinking water more accessible, visible and available at sport in Victoria will help to increase water consumption and reduce intake of SSBs.

VicHealth will not fund the following:

• Purchase of packaged drinks or food
• Fridges
• Ice machines
• Vending machines
• Subsidies for price discounts on drinks
• Drinking water fountains

VicHealth roles and responsibilities

VicHealth will provide State Sporting Associations with:

• Resources to undertake a ‘nudge’ to promote water as the drink of choice with at least one club.
• Resources include information on: 
  
  • choosing a ‘nudge’ – providing four options:
    • promotion - promote water as the drink of choice
    • placement – unhealthy ‘red’ drinks off display
    • price - make water the cheapest option
    • placement - water more prominent display nudge
  • ‘nudge’ data collection process (pre and post nudge data required)
  • ‘nudge’ implementation guide, providing a step by step guide
  • post-evaluation, outlining assessment and reporting of the impact of the ‘nudge’
• consistent branding and artwork design for SSAs to promote the VicHealth brand on or around the identified canteen/retail food outlet, junior program or regular events.

State Sporting Association roles and responsibilies

State Sporting Associations have a role in supporting clubs to create healthy sporting environments. The provision of healthy drinks is a key environmental change which can make the healthy choice – the easy choice, benefitting the health and wellbeing of players, members, coaches, spectators and volunteers.  

SSAs will be the lead agencies for this grant program. However, VicHealth requires SSAs to formalise a partnership with a local association or club to apply through this program. Through the application, SSA must submit a letter of support from the relevant association or sporting club.

If successful, the SSA is required to:

• deliver their grant objectives by 28 April, 2017
• recruit and support at least one local association or club to participate in the grant
• agree to undertake the ‘nudge’ for at least 5 weeks baseline and 5 weeks implementation
• agree to provide baseline data and nudge evaluation data (post implementation) which includes:
  • Total number of items sold per drinks category
  • Total drinks sales
  • Total attendance figures for the duration of the ‘nudge’
  • Photo of the food environment before the ‘nudge’ eg. packaged drinks on display at canteen/retail food outlet
  • Photo of the food environment after the ‘nudge’
• confirm bank account details for electronic funds transfer
• comply with reporting requirements including a final report and financial acquittal as per VicHealth contract requirements

Stages of assessment

Stage 1: Screening process to determine eligibility and review completeness of application.

Stage 2: All eligible applications will be reviewed and shortlisted.

Stage 3: Shortlisted applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts with sport, physical activity and healthy eating expertise.

Stage 4: SSAs will be advised by email of the outcome of their application.

 

Assessment criteria

Why:	How will an environment which promotes water as the drink of choice benefit your sporting community? How many people will potentially benefit from the provision of water as the drink of choice? (e.g. players, members, coaches, volunteers, spectators, general public, other user groups)
When:	When will the nudge’ be undertaken? Please note the baseline data prior to the ‘nudge’ (5 weeks) and ‘nudge’ implementation (5 weeks) must be completed by 28 April 2017.
How:	Have you undertaken an assessment to understand the most suitable ‘nudge’ for the local association or club? (See the VicHealth Nudge summaries.) How will your SSA support the local association or club to collect baseline data, implement and evaluate the ‘nudge’?
What	Which ‘nudge’ to make water the drink of choice will you implement within the local association or club?
Who:	Can you demonstrate support and agreement from an association or sporting club? Are there other sporting clubs that will benefit? (e.g. other clubs that use the canteen/retail food outlet during the period of the ‘nudge’ trial) Do you have partnerships with other partners that will support your activities? (e.g. Regional Sports Assembly, Local Government, Community Health Service)
Health equity	When assessing your grant application, VicHealth will take into account the social and economic disadvantage in your club’s local area, based on the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).

If your club is successful, VicHealth will provide you with a Recipient Created Tax Invoice (RCTI) in relation to payment of funding. This is a VicHealth generated invoice. If your funding application is approved, your club is not required to raise a separate invoice – VicHealth will email you an RCTI with the remittance advice for tax purposes.

Date	Item
Open Grant Round	28 November 2016
Close Grant Round	13 January 2017
Notifications	Successful and unsuccessful SSAs will be notified by email.

Contact VicHealth

Please contact us at water@vichealth.vic.gov.au or (03) 9667 1308. We review every email and voicemail and respond as soon as possible.

Where to seek advice

• Local Government: Local councils play an important role in providing sport facilities and services for the community and creating environments for communities that support improved health and wellbeing. Each council is required to prepare a four-year municipal public health and wellbeing plan.
• Regional Sports Assemblies: If you are in regional Victoria, sport development staff from Regional Sports Assemblies can also provide advice on how to structure your application. VicHealth is working with all Regional Sports Assemblies to strengthen policy and practices around making water the beverage of choice in regional sporting clubs, leagues and facilities through the Regional Sport Program.
• Vicsport: Vicsport is the peak body for sport and active recreation in Victoria.