Parents Australia Futures league competitive stream

[1gymmom1]

Hi everyone, new gymnastic parent here. Can someone please tell me the difference between the Futures league competitive stream and the "traditional" competitive streams. My child is interested in competitive gymnastics and wants to one day compete nationally hopefully. Her gym offers the Futures league competitive stream and I am wandering if this is a good start for her or if i would be holding her back. Any information or advice on this will be very much appreciated.

 

[JBS]

@Aussie_coach Do you know this?

 

[JessSyd]

Aussie Coach may know more - most of what I know about this came from a brief discussion at a gym committee meeting nearly a year ago. So it may not be entirely up to date.

My understanding is that Future League is the ‘competitive’ stream offered by Recreational Gymnastics Australia, which is an organisation set up by Belgravia Leisure Group (who own gyms and swimming pools across Australia) to provide gyms (their own, and others that have since joined) with an alternative to affiliation with Gymnastics Australia.

It’s still relatively new so most gyms are GA affiliated, not RGA afilliated. RGA have their own insurance, coach training pathway, and competitions. The competitions are designed to be low key, and have a fairly flexible format - less rigid about skills and levels and even, I think, things like what counts as mens vs women’s gymnastics. Kids in this program will learn gymnastics and have fun, but they’ll never compete for Australia - there’s just no pathway to that through RGA. Many future league programs don’t put in the hours that Australian Levels (the traditional program) require. The future league goal is for kids to have fun and to stay in the sport, so they don’t want long training hours as a barrier.

Gymnastics Australia is the organisation that is affiliated with FIG (the international governing body), so the only path to high level competition in Australia is through them. They also have a well developed competition structure for non-elite gymnasts, ranging from well attended regional competitions, to state level competitions, and nationals & national clubs.

Will she have fun in Future league - yes! Will she compete at national level - no, not really. Will it hold her back? Not necessarily. If she starts in this program and proves to have extraordinary talent, most coaches with integrity would mention that to you, and recommend to you that you move her to an appropriate training environment if she’s interested in taking that path.

For example we had a kid walk into our gym from a two hour a week rec program, on the recommendation of her coach, and go straight into level five. She is insanely naturally talented. And a year down the track, she’s now much tidier and has filled in the skill gaps she had acquired. Now we are trying to convince her parents that a near future shift to an elite gym would maximise her opportunities if she’s eyeing off elite gymnastics (I don’t think she is, alas).

 

[1gymmom1]

Aussie Coach may know more - most of what I know about this came from a brief discussion at a gym committee meeting nearly a year ago. So it may not be entirely up to date.

My understanding is that Future League is the ‘competitive’ stream offered by Recreational Gymnastics Australia, which is an organisation set up by Belgravia Leisure Group (who own gyms and swimming pools across Australia) to provide gyms (their own, and others that have since joined) with an alternative to affiliation with Gymnastics Australia.

It’s still relatively new so most gyms are GA affiliated, not RGA afilliated. RGA have their own insurance, coach training pathway, and competitions. The competitions are designed to be low key, and have a fairly flexible format - less rigid about skills and levels and even, I think, things like what counts as mens vs women’s gymnastics. Kids in this program will learn gymnastics and have fun, but they’ll never compete for Australia - there’s just no pathway to that through RGA. Many future league programs don’t put in the hours that Australian Levels (the traditional program) require. The future league goal is for kids to have fun and to stay in the sport, so they don’t want long training hours as a barrier.

Gymnastics Australia is the organisation that is affiliated with FIG (the international governing body), so the only path to high level competition in Australia is through them. They also have a well developed competition structure for non-elite gymnasts, ranging from well attended regional competitions, to state level competitions, and nationals & national clubs.

Will she have fun in Future league - yes! Will she compete at national level - no, not really. Will it hold her back? Not necessarily. If she starts in this program and proves to have extraordinary talent, most coaches with integrity would mention that to you, and recommend to you that you move her to an appropriate training environment if she’s interested in taking that path.

For example we had a kid walk into our gym from a two hour a week rec program, on the recommendation of her coach, and go straight into level five. She is insanely naturally talented. And a year down the track, she’s now much tidier and has filled in the skill gaps she had acquired. Now we are trying to convince her parents that a near future shift to an elite gym would maximise her opportunities if she’s eyeing off elite gymnastics (I don’t think she is, alas).

Thank you so much for this information as it leaves me with alot to think about. Her goal is try and to compete for Australia and Futures league might not be the best competitive stream for her so we will be looking into other clubs.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It’s all quite policital at the moment.

JessSyd is correct. Up until now the primary gymnastics organisation in the country is Gymnastics Australia. They are associated with FIG and have run all the “official” competitions, from local cooks to regional, state, national and international events:

But Gymnastics Australia has introduced policies many people disagree with, Thorne a lot of clubs out for not following the rules and they are very expensive.

So a new organisation has been formed called Recreational Gymnastics Australia. Or RGA for short.

They offer comps such as these open to any club, you don’t have to be registered with GA.

In some states a very large number of clubs have left GA and joined RGA.

The Futures league comps are not associated with the governing body so don’t lead to international selection, but that’s not relevant to must kids. They also don’t attract funding because they are not part of the governing body.

The sell themselves as being more fun, more affordable, more family friendly etc. But, I have not seen one in action as my state do not have many clubs outside of GA.

At this point the downside is that they are quite new, it offering all Gymsports etc:

The upside is they are working to be innovative.

 

[1gymmom1]

It’s all quite policital at the moment.

JessSyd is correct. Up until now the primary gymnastics organisation in the country is Gymnastics Australia. They are associated with FIG and have run all the “official” competitions, from local cooks to regional, state, national and international events:

But Gymnastics Australia has introduced policies many people disagree with, Thorne a lot of clubs out for not following the rules and they are very expensive.

So a new organisation has been formed called Recreational Gymnastics Australia. Or RGA for short.

They offer comps such as these open to any club, you don’t have to be registered with GA.

In some states a very large number of clubs have left GA and joined RGA.

The Futures league comps are not associated with the governing body so don’t lead to international selection, but that’s not relevant to must kids. They also don’t attract funding because they are not part of the governing body.

The sell themselves as being more fun, more affordable, more family friendly etc. But, I have not seen one in action as my state do not have many clubs outside of GA.

At this point the downside is that they are quite new, it offering all Gymsports etc:

The upside is they are working to be innovative.

Thanks Aussie Coach.

 

[Invisible Duck]

So is RGA different again to Australian gymnastics competitions (AGC)?

This cannot be good for gymnastics in Australia to have so many different leagues etc

 

[JessSyd]

I’ve wondered this!

As far as I can tell, AGC isn’t an entirely alternative organisation like RGA. They don’t register clubs, offer club/gymnast insurance, coach training etc.

I think they just provide independently run competitions? I know from their social media that their competitions are attended by Gymnastics Australia clubs, so I assume that what they are doing is providing a competition stream for low hours/advanced rec girls? Something for girls to work towards even if they aren’t putting in the hours to be competitive/feel good at an Australian Levels competition?

My guess is that if they’re competing with anything, it’s with GA ‘state stream’ competitions, which often end up just being a handful of girls from one or two clubs rotating together within a regular competition. Competitions specifically for that cohort would definitely be more fun!

But that’s just a guess, I don’t actually know.

 

[gymmum]

this isn't on the topic you have raised but while i have an Aussie audience, can i ask something related? My daughter is a 11 and in a competitive squad in London. I'v e been pondering a move back home at some point in the next few years. I'm from near Byron Bay and there are no competitive squads there. Can you tell me ... if she wants to go down the elite route in Aus, what are the realistic gyms? We did visit Gold Coast gymnastics and she did a session there in 2023.

 

[JessSyd]

Realistically, you’d have to be in or close to a capital city, (or Gold Coast now, I guess, as Ruby Pass and her coach have recently moved to Gold Coast Gymnastics).

I’ll let other folk weigh in on their own states, but in Sydney the gyms that have current seniors who have been given international assignments are Manly (Lucy Stewart who just got silver on bars at DTB Pokal), Sydney Academy (Annabelle Burrows who was our non travelling Olympic reserve), and All the Way Up, which has Georgia Godwin.

Ruby Pass and Emma Nedov both did time at Sydney Gymnastics Centre, but I think they both left to follow coaches (Emma to Waverley in Melbourne and Ruby to Premier in QLD), so I don’t know what the state of things there are right now wrt elite.

 

[&bs]

AGC comps are run by some of the staff from JETS in Victoria. They are based on the college vibe with loud music, judged out of 10 with optional routines and requirements more like the Excel system in the US rather that set routines. Definitely a more fun vibe than your regular competition. I believe they are quite big in Vic and definitely growing in NSW. A great alternative for State Stream kids in NSW who aren’t really being catered for by Gymnastics NSW.

Elite wise in NSW, Manly would probably be your best bet at the moment, with a number of girls competing in the Elite Stream. Sydney Academy only has Annabelle and their attention has always been focused on her all the way through.
Georgia doesn’t actually train at All the Way Up and never has, she just represents them, however, with a new Elite coach they are tying to build a program, so watch this space in the next few years to see what develops.

 

[coach_M]

I believe Gymnastics NSW has now made it that you cannot compete with AGC and GymNSW in the same year, you essentially have to choose one or the other

I’ve wondered this!

As far as I can tell, AGC isn’t an entirely alternative organisation like RGA. They don’t register clubs, offer club/gymnast insurance, coach training etc.

I think they just provide independently run competitions? I know from their social media that their competitions are attended by Gymnastics Australia clubs, so I assume that what they are doing is providing a competition stream for low hours/advanced rec girls? Something for girls to work towards even if they aren’t putting in the hours to be competitive/feel good at an Australian Levels competition?

My guess is that if they’re competing with anything, it’s with GA ‘state stream’ competitions, which often end up just being a handful of girls from one or two clubs rotating together within a regular competition. Competitions specifically for that cohort would definitely be more fun!

But that’s just a guess, I don’t actually know.

I believe Gymnastics NSW has now made it that you can’t compete for AGC and GymNSW in the one year, you need to choose and commit to one or the other

 

[JessSyd]

Interesting. I know they did that with RGA, as some clubs were attempting to insure their rec with them and stick with GNSW for competitive. And that seems fair to me - to make clubs choose an organisation to register with.

But banning one competition stream (out of the large number of friendlies etc that are out there) seems an odd hill to die from when it isn't actually taking anything away from GNSW and probably helps to keep girls in the sport.

But I think a lot of the changes GNSW have made this year are weirdly micro-managey and unnecessary, so perhaps I'm just primed to not like their decisions right now!

 

[Aussie_coach]

this isn't on the topic you have raised but while i have an Aussie audience, can i ask something related? My daughter is a 11 and in a competitive squad in London. I'v e been pondering a move back home at some point in the next few years. I'm from near Byron Bay and there are no competitive squads there. Can you tell me ... if she wants to go down the elite route in Aus, what are the realistic gyms? We did visit Gold Coast gymnastics and she did a session there in 2023.

At this post in time, I wouldn’t recommend Gold Coast Gymnastics, if you are looking for Elite, this may change but they haven’t been able to maintain things.

A private gym is often a better option because things seem to be more consistently run.

Brisbane is your closest capital and there are three gyms in Brisbane that can realistically train elites. Premier Gymnastics, 360 gymnastics and Delta gymnastics.

 

[Invisible Duck]

I’ve wondered this!

As far as I can tell, AGC isn’t an entirely alternative organisation like RGA. They don’t register clubs, offer club/gymnast insurance, coach training etc.

I think they just provide independently run competitions? I know from their social media that their competitions are attended by Gymnastics Australia clubs, so I assume that what they are doing is providing a competition stream for low hours/advanced rec girls? Something for girls to work towards even if they aren’t putting in the hours to be competitive/feel good at an Australian Levels competition?

My guess is that if they’re competing with anything, it’s with GA ‘state stream’ competitions, which often end up just being a handful of girls from one or two clubs rotating together within a regular competition. Competitions specifically for that cohort would definitely be more fun!

But that’s just a guess, I don’t actually know.

That makes sense. Now that I had another look that does seem to be the case.
I think I got mixed up with the acronyms