Rowing Victoria is seeking a nine-year, $420,000 strategic partnership with City of Ballarat, with the city hoping to secure more high-profile rowing events as a result.
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Council officers have recommended entering into the long-term commitment with the rowing body, stating in a report that it would provide a “license to negotiate” for more major rowing events, and “without securing a strategic partnership, organisations are unable to enter such negotiations”.
The agreement would also mean the Victorian State Rowing Championships will continue to be held on Lake Wendouree every two years.
The proposal will be considered by councillors at the ordinary August 1 meeting.
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According to City of Ballarat, the number of rowing participants at Lake Wendouree plummets without the state championships being held in the city. With 7,398 participants involved in Ballarat’s rowing in 2016, when the major sporting event was held in Ballarat, when the event moved to Nagambie in the year after, only 3,967 participants were involved in rowing in Ballarat in 2017.
The estimated economic impact of the state championship held in Ballarat on March 3-4 this year was $323,000.
Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh said rowing events made the lake “alive and vibrant and energetic”, with the idea to attract “many different levels of activity and competition”.
We know from our experiences with cycling, we need to crawl before we can walk. Hosting a number of core events to allow us to pitch for more elite styles of racing.
- Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh
“A multi-focused approach gives us the opportunity to test our facilities and infrastructure in the Lake precinct so we have appropriate requirements for significant competitions,” she said.
“It attracts tourists and has an economic impact, those people coming to support rowers are more likely to stay overnight, depending on which event it is.”
Rowing Victoria has 8470 individual athletes on its books, with 49 member schools. The sports body is in charge of hosting events such as the Victorian State Rowing Championships and Head of the Lake.
This article was amended following clarification around participant numbers in Ballarat’s rowing.
