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As Victorians continue to return to their local community pools as Coronavirus restrictions are eased, the state’s peak industry body Aquatics & Recreation Victoria (ARV), has announced a new strategic partnership with multi-award winning data company ActiveXchange to deliver a joined up, data driven approach to support VICSWIM rebuild in 2021 and beyond.

Speaking of the announcement, ARV interim Chief Executive, Kathy Parton said “ARV’s key role is to develop effective partnerships by bringing industry organisations together to achieve a common goal.

“ActiveXchange’s SportsEye Network enables us to strengthen connections with every Victorian local government and delivery venue through one coordinated digital eco-system. This ensures all stakeholders have an accurate and consistent view on the health and wellbeing impact as well as the remaining growth potential of the VICSWIM program within their own communities.

“At a time when our members and communities need us most, this partnership will help every VICSWIM venue put their energy to where it matters most - engaging communities to be more active, healthy and safe.”

ARV's VICSWIM program, which is backed by the Victorian Government, has provided Victorians fun and educational aquatic holiday programs since 1976. The program has continued to grow in numbers and breadth, and last year even despite the bush fires had 15,585 enrolments across 186 venues in 61 Victorian local government areas. Combined, that was 38,962 hours of swimming!

By integrating VICSWIM into the SportsEye Network the following is being achieved:

1. Improved ARV reporting: SportsEye translate registration and participation data into meaningful insights through a range of interactive mapping layers and straightforward dashboards. This includes using wider market insight and trends, as well as predictive modelling. The ‘SportsEye ARV’ account brings together a range of datasets to provide ARV with a robust view of the relative performance of the program in each delivery venue and local government area, including health and wellbeing impact KPIs, and a hierarchy of remaining growth areas to help focus stakeholder engagement efforts.

2. Improved partner reporting: Every local government in Victoria is being setup with a SportsEye account (many of which already have an account as they also registered for the National Infrastructure Database module). These accounts will contain the VICSWIM module for up to date reporting, including benchmarks, trends and forecasts for their own respective venues and communities.

3. Evidencing impact: local governments can now align the health and wellbeing impacts from the VICSWIM program with their own cross-government health and wellbeing strategies, supporting ongoing engagement with the program. This also allows local governments to compare these KPIs against overall leisure and aquatic KPIs and Social Value reporting from the day to day operations of their venues, as well as sport participation impacts in their area. SportsEye, by bringing different data points automatically together, helps government ensure it has the necessary mix of physical activity offers in place to meet the needs of all types of residents throughout the year. And protect vital services at times such as now with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is a great example of why we developed the SportsEye Network. Important data should not be locked in siloed databases when it has the potential to better inform and connect so many organisations. For us it’s about right offer, right place, right time to shape more active and healthy communities, so we’re delighted about this partnership with ARV and being able to play a role in supporting the VICSWIM program and every local government in Victoria”. James Ellender, CEO, ActiveXchange

4. Identifying growth opportunities: the predictive modelling behind SportsEye evidences the remaining growth hotspots for the VICSWIM program and therefore the remaining priority delivery venues (and local residents) who would benefit from engaging with the program. This forward thinking and independent analysis is available to both ARV and local government stakeholders through their respective SportsEye accounts.

5. Shaping a coordinated Network: SportsEye's Action Plan module enables any organisation, including ARV and local governments, to add details on upcoming program or infrastructure plans and securely share these with internal and external stakeholders. This means the key people are across a timeline of progress and have a birds-eye view, supported by the underlying SportsEye insight and evidence base, on what’s coming next across their area.

Through the Strategic Partnership with ActiveXchange, as members become full SportsEye Government and SportsEye Operator partners, additional funds will be generated to ARV to purposefully re-invest back into further research and evidence-based analysis. Ultimately enabling ARV and its members to better inform and advocate the value and impact of the programs and services delivered across the state.

As ARV readies itself to launch the module to all VICSWIM venues and local government delivery partners, a series of information sessions will commence in November with a formal launch to all members in January.

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