Welcome to the 21 August edition of the Swimming NSW e-newsletter

• additional information on the definition of 'local areas' to comply with the latest NSW health guidelines for community sport, and
• corrections to 2020-21 registration fees.

Additional recommendations for community sport came into effect this week (from 19 August 2020) and will remain effective for a period of six weeks (until 30 September 2020).

These recommendations are as follows:

• Cease activities that result in the mixing of participants and staff from different regions, for example by ceasing zone, regional or state championships or competitions
• Cease any activities that result in overnight stays (e.g. multi-day training camps) due to increased risk of COVID transmission in residential-type settings with shared facilities
• Cease face-to-face social activities relating to community sports (e.g. award ceremonies, end-of-season social gatherings, post-training group dinners)
• Avoid carpools or bus travel with people from different household groups where possible; and
• For local activities, limit spectators to one parent only, where the child requires parental supervision during the sporting activity.

 Read the full letter from the NSW Chief Health Officer to community sporting organisations. Further to this, the NSW Office of Sport has created a fact sheet that provides added detail to the above recommendations.

While these recommendations are not enforceable, we encourage our clubs and members to fully comply with these updated health guidelines to reduce the chance of transmission and limit the potential for the restrictions to be extended beyond 30 September 2020.

As such, we ask that:

• Swimmers only compete at meets in their local areas
• Club/event organisers ensure that no out-of-area participants attend their events.

• ACT
• Coast & Valley
• Metro North East
• Metro North West
• Metro South East
• Metro South West
• Mountains & Plains
• New England & North West
• North Coast
• South Eastern
• Southern Inland
• Western

Registration will open for clubs at 9 am on Monday, 14 September 2020.
Again, clubs will be required to set up their membership products so they are split between:

• Swimmer 8 & Under
• Swimmer 9 & Over
• Non-Swimmer

Shortly, Club Registrars will have the opportunity to book a 30-minute time slot to speak with a Swimming NSW staff member via Zoom or regular phone call, regarding registration season (Registrars only). This session should explain everything regarding setting up your membership products for the upcoming season, as well the simplified Active Kids process for this season and beyond. Note: You will not be able to book more than one appointment and a Zoom link will be sent to you prior to your meeting. If you have any further queries, please get in touch with us

• Debit Negative Balances

It is important for all clubs, especially those who are registered with Service NSW/Active Kids Program, that the ‘Debit Negative Balances’ toggle is switched ON in your club’s Swim Central account. This allows Stripe to debit the account when necessary (i.e. when you receive $100 from Service NSW) and then a portion of that money will need to be debited from your account to flow on to other entities such as Swimming Australia. If you need help on where to find this, please contact us here.

• Identification

There are still dozens of clubs who need to ensure their Identification documents are up to date. Click here for detailed information on how to ensure you will receive your club’s registration money from day one of your season.

Relays

Relay Team Entries through Swim Central are now available! A help guide will be provided in the coming weeks, and clubs are encouraged to wait for this guide before using this feature.