October Column: ClubsNSW Chair Sallianne Faulkner

It’s always a great opportunity to network with industry peers and this year’s lineup of keynote speakers and panel sessions were uplifting, educational and with Michael Crossland, our final keynote speaker, a true demonstration of resilience and an inspiration.

The addition of the ClubsNSW and Clubs Queensland Race Day to kick off this year’s program was a wonderful way to catch up with old friends and make new ones at the Gold Coast Turf Club.

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate ClubsNSW Deputy Chair Ron Coskerie and Director Will Drury who were both re-elected to the Board for a further three years at the AGM.

We also unveiled a new brand identity for the Association, with the new logos for ClubsNSW and Your Local Club reflecting the diversity of the club industry. You can read more about that here.

For those who couldn’t make it to Conference, you can catch up on the race day here, the second day here and the final day here. The ClubsNSW Media Team also produced a Conference ClubTV episode which will be released next week so stay tuned!

You will shortly receive a survey to provide your feedback which will inform the planning of next year’s conference, so please keep a look out. 

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There has been plenty of media coverage about the NSW Government’s Vibrancy Tranche 3 Reforms, in particular the change to the Liquor Act relating to the treatment of intoxicated patrons.

These changes deliver a number of measures to support clubs, and ClubsNSW has proactively worked with the government, as well as Liquor & Gaming NSW and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner to advocate for members in relation to these reforms. 

I encourage you to read our circular here which provides more detail about the changes, and as always please reach out to the team via ClubASSIST if you have any questions.

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Submissions are now open for the 2026 Clubs & Community Awards — yes it rolls around very quickly each year!

This is an opportunity to showcase your club’s positive community impact and achievements to our key stakeholders and the public, as well as formally recognise the hard work and dedication of your staff members and volunteers.

I encourage all of you to submit at least one story from your club that highlights your community initiatives, programs and partnerships. 

This year, clubs can submit stories across 10 categories, including the newly announced ‘Small Club, Big Heart’ category — honouring small clubs making a significant impact — and the ‘Sustainable Future’ category — recognising clubs that are actively investing in long-term sustainability and resilience.

You can find out more about the categories here and submit your nominations here. Submissions will close on Friday, 27 February 2026.

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Before I sign off, a reminder about the ClubLIFE Podcast, which is a fantastic way to hear from the personalities that work in and around the NSW club industry.

The latest episode features the outgoing Mingara Leisure Group CEO Paul Barnett, who I had the pleasure of serving on the ClubsNSW Board with for five years — the episode is well worth a listen!

The full list of episodes is here.