New Chair of ClubsNSW Opens Up About the Role

Sallianne becomes the first female Chair of ClubsNSW in the 104-year history of the Association.

ClubLIFE.com.au caught up with Sallianne to discuss her election to the role, her background in clubs and what she sees as some of the key issues currently facing the industry.

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Q. Congratulations on being elected Chair of ClubsNSW. You’ve been on the Board for some time now, but for those not familiar with your background, can you tell us about your history in the club industry?

Thank you! I was elected to the Board of Ramsgate RSL Memorial Club in May 2012 and became Chair in 2014. I was brought to the Club through its support of junior sport in our local area. I have thoroughly enjoyed my role, and the Club’s place in our community, despite some early weighty challenges. I joined the Board of ClubsNSW in 2018, seeking to more broadly support our industry via the peak industry body. During that time, I have travelled across NSW, meeting colleagues who are actively involved in their communities in a similar fashion. In 2023, I stepped into the interim CEO role at ClubsNSW for six months in the lead-up to the NSW state election.

Q. What is it about clubs that has led to your ongoing involvement in the industry?

At 18, I joined my local club as a safe, welcoming place to meet and enjoy time with friends. Since then, a number of clubs have provided me and my family with opportunities to give and receive in life — from junior sport participation and administration experience, to involvement in charities that help our communities and those less fortunate than ourselves — this has been personally and professionally very rewarding. 

Q. What do you see as the most challenging areas for the club industry at present?

Our industry has always, and will always, face challenges and we have shown over more than 100 years, as a part of our community, we respond. I am proud of how our industry responds to emergencies by providing evacuation centres during bushfire and flood events, how we responded to our employees throughout the COVID shutdowns, how we respond to social issues in our communities — like loneliness — by providing safe, welcoming places to belong, just to name a few. Our industry is currently working to ensure that we are fit for purpose, that we are relevant and accessible for future generations. It may well look like a new future model for our businesses. I also believe that it is important we continue to embed the knowledge more broadly to the general public that our industry does not seek to profit from irresponsible gambling, that we get up each and every day to provide safe, welcoming venues that offer entertainment, food and a place to belong in your community in a responsible fashion, for a sustainable future.

Q. What excites you most about taking on the position of ClubsNSW Chair, and how do you feel being the first female in the history of the Association to take on the role? 

The club industry provides the threads to daily life in NSW and holds our communities together, both regionally and in metropolitan areas. This drives me, and I’m excited to lead our team of dedicated directors that understand our industry and the challenges ahead, and to advocate for our industry’s long-term stability and success. I know how much good clubs provide our communities and I want to see that acknowledged and built upon. I’m honoured to accept this role as a club director first and foremost. We are seeing an increasing number of women taking on club directorships and I am very proud to be one of them. Our industry supports communities, and our communities are rich with diversity. I want to embrace and celebrate our diversity. 

Q. What do you see as your main areas of focus in the short and medium term?

ClubsNSW is charged with the advocacy of our industry to government and regulators. It is critical at this time of change and increased challenges that we are a united industry. In the short term, the Board and I are looking forward to supporting Rebecca as she continues to advocate for our industry with all our stakeholders, further building on important relationships. Our current focus on the importance of our industry’s presence in regional and metropolitan areas will remain; we are the safe and welcoming places where the people of NSW hold celebrations and come together, where they belong, and so we must ensure we are maintaining our venues for the future generations.

Q. How important a role does ClubsNSW play in the advocacy and sustainability of NSW clubs? 

As the peak industry body, ClubsNSW has a very important role to advocate for our entire industry, seeking long term stability and success, not only for the more than six million members of clubs, but importantly for our employees. The Association provides our industry with a united voice which is critical to the sustainability of our clubs. We work tirelessly at the table where decisions are made that impact our clubs and their members, and this is a very important role.