"Two Strong, highly skilled women join the ASA Board"

The Board of the Athletic Association of South Australia welcomes Claire Woods and Verity Edwards as newly appointed Board Members.

Athletics SA President and Chair of the Board Jane Russo said Woods and Edwards each come to the Board with past experience as athletes, and professional experience in the sport industry.

"Two strong and highly skilled women have joined the Board, and they will complement the skillset that we already have (at Board level)," Russo said.

"These two women complement a very strong Board, which ensures our sport has strong governance, strong representation on Working Groups, strong engagement with our community, and can meet the needs of clubs, athletes and everyone within athletics."

Verity Edwards, left, State Sports Minister Katrine Hildyard, Athletics SA President Jane Russo, and Claire Woods.

Woods and Edwards come to the Board following the resignation of Vice President Andrew Tickle, as well as through a casual vacancy which has remained since the 2021 Annual General Meeting. 

"The Board went to great effort to find people with the necessary skills to complement the current people on the Board," Russo said. 

"After looking at four or five applicants the Board made a decision based on the skills that we were seeking, and that was Claire and Verity."

Woods - a Commonwealth Games Medallist and two-time Olympian - brings experience as a professional athlete (Race Walker) and a background in sport governance and policy.

"We can't speak highly enough about Claire's achievements and commitment to the sport, but what people probably don't know is her strong background in Government roles, particularly in the governance and policy space," Russo said. 

"Having worked for a number of Institutes in Canberra (within sport), and her current role within the SA State Government focusing on policy and governance Claire brings that lens to the Board, as well as that recently retired athlete and pathway perspective.

"She is very interested in athlete pathways and support for our emerging athletes and talent programs."

Edwards joins the Board with past experience as a Triathlete, a professional background in the media and public relations landscape, experience on Little Athletics club committees and also has children who currently participate in the sport.

Edwards - who has had 23 years experience as a Journalist across a variety of platforms - said she was excited to have a seat on the Board.

"This is a great opportunity for me - athletics has always been a sport I have been passionate about, I have grown up in the sport, my kids are involved in the sport, it's an interest of ours and something that I am keen to be involved in when it comes to shaping the future of the sport," Edwards said.

"I have an interest in governance and the management of organisations, I also believe that I have skills that I can lend to Athletics SA in media and communications and advice on public relations and crisis management.

"Both of my boys have been involved in Athletics since Tiny Tots so I have seen them go through Little Athletics and transition into seniors.

"I have an interest in keeping kids involved in the sport as I have seen the drop out rate once kids hit 12 and 13, so to find the bridge to encourage them to continue in the sport is important."

Russo said the Athletics SA Board met the requirement of SA's Office of Recreation, Sport and Racing's 40:40:20 (male to female ratio) criteria that's required on sport Boards, and believed that the Association was leading the way within the State of female representation at Board level.

Three Board Members will be up for election at this year's AGM.