Annual Organisation Performance Assessment  

Information about the Annual Organisation Performance Assessment for state sporting associations (SSA) and state active recreation organisations (SARO).

The Annual Organisation Performance Assessment (AOPA) is the formal assessment process to review a SSA and SARO performance against industry pillars for the previous 12-month period.

All SSA/SARO’s must complete all components of the AOPA process to determine recommended funding in the following 12-month period for the Industry Investment Program (IIP).  

The components of the AOPA process include completion of: 
  • annual census survey (Census) 
  • Australian Sports Commission’s Sport Governance Standards (SGS) assessment 
  • achievement of the Women in Leadership (WIL) target 
  • provision of annual financial statements and annual report 
  • AOPA meetings with Advisor to complete assessment tool.  

Annual Census survey

The Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport (CITS) collects information and data from SSA/SARO’s through the Census. The Census provides organisations an opportunity to reflect on progress and contribute insights to inform sector-wide understanding. 

Data captured through the Census can inform the AOPA and is a deliverable in each SSA/SARO’s Industry Investment Program (IIP) key result schedule. 

The reporting should be on the last completed season.  

How to complete the Census

Sport Governance Standards assessment 

Sport Governance Standards (SGS) assessments evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of their governance systems and processes. 

The SGS have been co-designed with the Australian Sports Commission and State and Territory sport and recreation government departments to support governance improvement across the sector and all sporting organisations. 

SGS assessments can be an organisational governance evaluation tool to help CITS identify trends and provide advice, support, resources and education to meet sector needs. 

Completion of the SGS assessment can be completed via Game Plan.  

More information on the SGS and principles can be found on the Australian Sports Commission’s website

Women in Leadership target 

The WIL target requires all recognised SSA/SARO boards to comprise of a minimum of 50 per cent female or gender diverse directors. To reflect and accommodate boards that have an uneven number of director positions, the final position can be any gender.  

Improving diversity, including gender, in leadership and governance increases the range of skills, viewpoints and networks available to develop strategy, plans and programs, and helps create stronger and more sustainable organisations. 

Organisations are required to report on this target by 31 March each year.  

There are funding implications for organisations that do not achieve and maintain the WIL target.  

Completion of the WIL target is to be done within the SGS assessment via Game Plan. 

Get more information on the WIL target and Gender Diversity Case for Change.

Timelines for organisations 

The below table outlines the meeting and acquittal timeline with the industry pillar discussed at each stage that informs the AOPA process. 

Financial year

TimelineitemCompletion and industry pillar
1 July to 30 September IIP grant acquittal
  • Schedule A — Key results schedule 
  • Schedule B — Acquittal Statement 
  • Schedule C — Financial summary 
SeptemberAdvisor meeting 
  • Community Reach, programs and inclusive sport
  • High Performance and Pathways 
1 October to 30 November Annual Census SurveyOnline through GamePlan
NovemberAdvisor meeting 
  • Membership
  • Participation
  • Regions
1 to 28 February IIP Funding Activation Form Online form provided by CITS
MarchAdvisor meeting 
  • Governance
  • Finance
  • Planning
1 to 31 MarchSGS survey and WIL dataOnline through GamePlan

Calendar year

TimeframeItemCompletion and industry pillar
1 January to 31 March IIP grant acquittal
  • Schedule A — Key results schedule 
  • Schedule B — Acquittal Statement 
  • Schedule C — Financial summary 
1 to 28 FebruaryIIP Funding Activation Form Online form provided by CITS
March Advisor meeting 
  • Governance 
  • Finance 
  • Planning
1 to 31 MarchSGS survey and WIL dataOnline through GamePlan
September Advisor meeting
  • Community reach, programs and inclusive sport 
  • High Performance and Pathways
1 October to 30 November Annual Census SurveyOnline through GamePlan
NovemberAdvisor meeting
  • Membership 
  • Participation 
  • Regions  

For any questions, please reach out to your sport and recreation advisor for assistance or email sectorperformance@cits.wa.gov.au

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Page reviewed 20 August 2026