If there were three words that described Campdrafting they would be ‘fun, family sport’. People from all ages and backgrounds have found a great deal of enjoyment in the sport over the years. The Australian Campdraft Association (ACA) was formed in Australia in 1972 for the purpose of conducting campdrafts in a safe and uniformed manner. For many people, campdrafting is a hobby, while for others it is a full time passion, which flows into their occupation, thus how the sport began. While Campdrafting is not a new sport, its growth within Australia over the last few years has been tremendous. As an association that started off as a way to regulate the sport of campdrafting, it has done not only that but also governs hundreds of committees and thousands of members from all over Australia. Members and committees alike look to the ACA for unrivalled guidance, promotion and support through forums, training days, and online and over the phone support. The ACA is leading the way with online accessibility, launching a new nomination and member portal to make it easier for people to use.

Nominated by Florence Haywood-Batchelor, employee

I joined three years ago and this association makes everyone feel like family. They also work so hard to keep softball alive and have started annual comps like Australia Day three-day comp, where we invite other cities to come play, and a seasonal charity shield where we raise funds for charities. The people in this association put in so much of their own time and money into keeping softball alive and I would love to see them recognised for this :)

Nominated by Tara Clark, Workers Club team member

The Upper Great Southern Hockey Association is a family friendly sporting association with the home ground based in Narrogin, WA. They have their own cub rooms with an International standard synthetic turf. It has approx. 46 different teams playing each week. They have teams competing from the surrounding towns of Wagin, Dumbleyung, Wickepin, Brookton, Pingelly and Williams. The Association has acquired two different International series in the past three years involving the Kookaburras and an European opponent. The Association runs a very good Green Shirt Umpiring program which has seen an increase of approx. 30 qualified umpires.

Nominated by Rodney Johnson, Development Officer

Since becoming an association in October 2015 we have grown in leaps and bounds. As well as increasing our domestic competition by adding a new age group, our player numbers have increased and many many new items have been purchased to assist in the playing of our sports. We run basketball, futsal and netball competitions for the Ararat community, all as volunteers. We have increased our representative squad teams starting with four and now have an extra age group and eight teams. Also, after a 17 years break, we joined the adult competition Country Basketball League with a men's and women's team.

Nominated by Donna Dunmore, president/player/volunteering parent

After just celebrating our 60th Anniversary, it’s safe to say that when it comes to best associations going, Croydon & Districts has been at the forefront of all table tennis associations, not only in Victoria, but also Australia wide. Croydon & Districts has held many major International & National Championships over many years. This includes the 2013 Junior National Championships, 2004 Olympic Qualification Tournament & 1993 Oceania Championships to name a few. With over 500 registered members, we are not only the biggest Association in Australia, but possibly the biggest association in the Southern Hemisphere, based on registered players.

Croydon & Districts Stadium is located at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges and have 23 courts, which is one of the biggest stadiums in Australia. We have been very fortunate in that the courts remain up at all times, so players can come in at any time during the week to play. Croydon & Districts offer a multitude of activities each day, which includes competition play, social play, coaching services, Swish (a form of table tennis for the blind or vision impaired), Females only Table Tennis and we also have the honour of the National Squad training at our stadium every week.

With over 500 members, the player’s abilities are as diverse as their age; the youngest competitor has just turned six, while the oldest will be turning 94 later this year. We have many players just starting out and still learning to even hold a bat and get the ball across the net, to players who have become State and National Champions. We have a select four players represent Australia at Olympic Games and one player represented Australia at Paralympics. We have other playing members who have also become umpires, and Referees, and some of these have also attended Olympics in their official capacity. One of these players was the Head umpire in a Men’s Singles at a World Championship – you can’t get any greater achievement in umpiring. Over 60 years, the Association has had many, many people who have volunteered their time for the benefit of the Association. Many, many families have actively helped the growth of the Association.

Nominated by Greg Bristowe, member

WA Paralympic Football is a growing sport that provides more than a physical out reach for young players with a disability, it’s where they can build on their self-esteem, confidence and independence. Our team consists of players with Cerebral palsy and (ABI) brain acquired injuries, ages range from 9 to late 20s. The team trains most year round in preparation for the Nationals that are held in Sydney. For the past 2 years our team has done extremely well winning silver and bronze and bring home some very prestigious awards, but to enable them to get there the expense is from each players pocket which can be great especially when having a disability the boys acquire additional expenses throughout their lives. We are not government funded programme and don't receive any assistance. Going to National gives the boys a chance to be selected to play for the Australian team, the Pararoos. Over the years we have been fortunate enough that some of our talented players have come from our WA team.

Nominated by Josephine La Verghetta, parent

This association has become an icon in Charters Towers with more teams nominating each season and hosting a carnival as part of the Great Western Games. It provides a great place to learn, develop and extend skills and participation. It is continuing to offer improvements in the facilities and improve player and spectator safety. It is a great club to be associated with and it is providing future pathways for many players building connections with other players and associations. For a small country town, the association provides a lot.

Throughout 2017 Acacia Hills Motocross Association, also better known as AHMA have been a leader in promoting a family friendly motocross club for members and riders of all ages and abilities. Catering for Junior and Senior competitors. They are a new association, only two-years-old. In 2017 they successfully received a grant from The NT Government to bring 2 time world Motocross Champion Sebastien Tortelli all the way from Barcelona, Spain to Acacia Hills, rural Darwin, to provide a valuable coaching opportunity to members.

The club has spent the past 12 months working on improving facilities and creating an enjoyable club atmosphere to be a part of, all with a skeletal committee. The committee is small yet very functional, consists of shift workers both in construction or mining and in Defence. 2017 saw an increase in members to the club as the club is becoming more popular with its family atmosphere. AHMA supported their junior competitors who travelled to Horsham, Victoria to compete in the 2017 Australian Championships. The support was guided through from track availability and prepping, coaching and financial assistance to the junior members who went away to represent AHMA.

We endeavour to continue to provide this assistance to members. Our club currently has a rider with autism and we have provided the family with a bike and protective wear for this child to enjoy his sport in a safe environment. We also have 2 small bikes and all protective gear to enable parents to bring their children to the club for ‘Come and Try’ days. This allows families to come and see what racing motocross is all about, while providing an opportunity to try before they are confronted with the initial outlay of expenses. AHMA encourage and praise outstanding sportsmanship. They pride themselves on running a family orientated club which promotes healthy attitudes to participation in motocross. If we were to be successful in in winning this year’s Clubbies, we would use the funds to continue with facility improvements and member opportunities. The commitment to improved opportunity is paramount and a focus for AHMA in providing the best environment for its members.

Nominated by Natasha Langkowski, member

In 2017 the TGFHA launched a major campaign 'Play Gaelic Football' to introduce the sport to new people. Five successful come-and-try events were held around Tasmania during the course of the year. Many juniors and adults were encouraged to become more active and participate in organised sport at a social level. The Association lobbied for the concept of the Regional Championships of Gaelic football, which was approved by the Australasian body. TGFHA successfully hosted the inaugural championships with teams from four states competing and the Governor of Tasmania presenting the trophies. For a small association with less than 100 members, this was an exceptional year.

Nominated by Alan Whykes, president

U.S Kids Golf ran over 120 tournaments for junior golfers nationally in 2016 and 2017. They are truly grassroots encouraging kids from aged 5 to 14 to play golf. They introduced the concept of reduced yardage tournaments depending on age in Australia which makes playing achievable and fun for kids. Family involvement is encouraged - parents caddie for their kids. It is a not for profit organisation that receives no support from government or the PGA. U.S Kids Golf Australia is all about encouraging kids to play the game of golf by making it fun! They have achieved great success in a few short years of being in Australia!

Nominated by Danielle Wallis, employee