8 April 2015 | Tennis West

What is the Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme?

The Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme (ATSS) provides a funding subsidy to assist talented Western Australian athletes with out of pocket travel and accommodation costs to compete at regional, state, national and international championships or events.
The intent of ATSS is to support athletes that have progressed into the Talent Development/High Performance pathway of their chosen sport. Athletes must have undergone a selection process* endorsed by their respective Regional/State/National Sporting Association to participate at an event/competition within their pathway* that is essential to be considered for selection to a higher level team/event.
The ATSS is part of the State Government’s Supporting Community Sport Initiative, funded by the Royalties for Regions Program and the Department of Sport and Recreation.

Athlete Eligibility
Applications can be submitted by individual athletes who must:
 Be selected and competing in one of the five performance categories,
 Be attending a recognised event that is part of their sport’s State or National pathway,
 Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident,
 Be aged 13 – 21 years at the commencement date of the event they are participating in,
 Permanently reside in Western Australia,
 Be a current registered member of a club or association that is affiliated with a State Sporting Association (SSA) that is deemed eligible by DSR (refer Appendix 2 for a list of eligible SSAs).
Note 1: athletes who are selected for Under 13 age group events/competitions, who turn 13 years of age prior to the event/competition start date, are not eligible for support.
Note 2: athletes who attend school or university and are boarding in metropolitan Perth are classed as regional athletes but are ineligible to apply for Performance Category levels 4 and 5. Refer to the DSR’s website www.dsr.wa.gov.au/regional for clarification on metropolitan and regional boundaries.

What will be funded?
A subsidy must be used to offset out-of-pocket travel and accommodation costs only associated with involvement in one of the Performance Categories. Funding will be for either retrospective or future travel occurring within the eligible dates for the event.

Funding is allocated against the applicant’s out-of-pocket amount and will not exceed the specified maximum funding limits. In cases where the number of applications exceeds the budget, eligible athletes will receive lower funding, and in extreme cases some eligible athletes may not receive any subsidy.
Note: Out-of-pocket expenses refer to travel/accommodation costs less any other financial support e.g. Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS), Local Sporting Champions, local government grants, etc.

For more information, including the eligibility criteria and application form, please click here.