INSIDE THE REVIEW
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Inside the Review
CORE — Coach & Official Recognition & Education
CORE is ACF’s national initiative to modernise how we recruit, train, support and recognise Coaches, Adjudicators and Examiners — Three Programs | One Framework. It’s built on extensive consultation with the calisthenics community, and directly supports the Strengthen It pillar of Elevate 28!, ACF’s strategic plan.
The Program Review is now complete, and the ACF Board has confirmed the Program Review Reference Group (PRRG) — including Heads of Committees and community representatives — to continue developing the detailed CORE Framework. No implementation decisions have been made yet. That work is underway now, and this page will be updated as it progresses.
What happens once the Framework is complete
Once the detailed CORE Framework is mapped and comes back to the Board, the next stage is implementation — and that work will draw on people from within the coaching, adjudicating and examining community itself. Taskforces made up of a mix of Heads of Committees, community representatives and technical experts will help piece the Framework together into action, recommendation by recommendation. Nothing about implementation is decided in isolation from the people who’ll be doing the work.
Where we are now — Stage 4
Curious how we got here? Read the full journey below!
FAQ Block
Question | Answer |
What has actually been decided? | The Board has endorsed the direction of the review’s recommendations and confirmed the PRRG’s role in developing the detailed Framework. No decisions have been made yet about how any recommendation will be implemented. |
Will I lose my current accreditation or recognition? | No. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Recognition of Current Competency (RCC) pathways are being built into the Framework so no one loses their current status. |
Is the move to RevSport part of this? | No — RevSport/LMS setup for the 2027 season was already communicated earlier this year and is continuing on that timeline, separately from the Framework decisions still to come. The platform has to be built and configured before anything else can be added to it, and season registration depends on it being ready in time — that’s why it’s proceeding now rather than waiting for the full Framework. |
When will I hear more? | The PRRG will spend the coming months mapping and working through each recommendation. We’ll share a full update once that work — and the full CORE Framework — comes back to the Board. |
Who’s involved in this work? | The PRRG includes the National Operations Manager, ACF Board Chair, Heads of Committees for Coaching, Adjudicating and Examining, community representatives, and the NCEF Lead. |
What is the PRRG’s role, and how does it actually work? | The PRRG’s job is to turn the Board-endorsed recommendations into the detailed CORE Framework. It’s chaired by the National Operations Manager, and its members are the ACF Board Chair, the Heads of Committees for Coaching, Adjudicating and Examining, community representatives, and the NCEF Lead. Its role is to work through each recommendation, decide how the pieces fit together, sequence what happens when, and draft the Terms of Reference for the taskforces that’ll actually deliver the work later on. It meets regularly, records its decisions, and reports back to the Board through the NOM. It can’t make final calls on anything that needs Board approval — those go back to the Board — and it doesn’t run the day-to-day coaching, adjudicating or examining programs; that stays exactly where it’s always sat, with HOCs and the NOM. |
Who will actually build the Framework into action once it’sready? | Taskforces made up of a mix of Heads of Committees, community representatives and technical experts from within the coaching, adjudicatingand examining community — not a group separate from the people doing the work. |
Why is CORE aligned with the ASC’s Modern Coaching and Officiating Approaches? | Because it’s the national benchmark ACF is measured against. The ASC’s approach moves coaching and officiating away from one-off compliance testing toward ongoing, participant-centred development in safe and inclusive environments — and that’s the standard CORE is designed to meet. |
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Australian Calisthenics Federation has launched a national Program Review to strengthen the foundations of our Coaching, Adjudicating and Examining programs.
Led by independent consultant Mike McLaughlin (McLaughlin Sports Consultancy), the review will assess governance, alignment, delivery, and sustainability — ensuring every pathway supports officials consistently across Australia.
This work directly supports the Elevate 28! strategic plan, focusing on growth, inclusion, and excellence.
Regular updates will be published through this page and the Inside the Review newsletter.
Program Review Timeline
December 2025
- Program Review formally approved by the Board and the Program Review Reference Group (PRRG) established
- Background documentation compiled and prepared for review
January – February 2026
- Indépendant consultant reviews existing ACF documentation
- Mapping of current coaching, adjudicating and examining pathways
- Benchmarking against national sport frameworks and best practices
March 2026
- Targeted surveys released to coaches, adjudicators and examiners
- Analysis of survey feedback and key themes
- Preliminary findings and opportunities identified
April 2026
- Focus group sessions across coaching, adjudicating and examining
- One-on-one interviews with key stakeholders
- Refinement of findings based on consultation feedback
May 2026
- Draft recommendations developed and reviewed with the PRRG
- Final recommendations report delivered to the ACF Board
- Clear implementation considerations and priorities identified
Beyond The Review
- Board consideration of endorsed recommendations
- Staged implementation planning
- Ongoing communication with members
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Our Journey So Far
We’re kicking off a national review of how we recruit, train, support and recognise our Coaches, Adjudicators and Examiners — and we wanted you to hear about it from us, as it happens, not after the fact.
December 2025 — The Review Begins
The ACF Board has announced a national review of how we recruit, train, support and recognise Coaches, Adjudicators and Examiners — and established the Program Review Reference Group (PRRG) to guide it. The PRRG brings together Heads of Committees, community representatives and ACF leadership, working alongside independent consultants McLaughlin Sports Consultancy. Over the coming months, the review will look at governance, training pathways, and consistency across states, with the goal of a stronger, more connected future for everyone who coaches, adjudicates or examines in our sport.
February 2026 — Listening in Action
The first phase of consultation is underway. Throughout February, the PRRG and independent reviewer have been meeting with stakeholders from across Australia to understand how our Coaching, Adjudicating and Examining programs actually operate day to day — the wins, the friction points, and everything in between. Thank you to everyone who’s given their time so far; these conversations are shaping the questions we ask next, including a national survey opening in March.
March 2026 — Have Your Say
The national Program Review survey is now open to coaches, adjudicators, examiners and the broader calisthenics community. This is the biggest single opportunity to have your say on what’s working, what’s not, and what you’d change — and it directly feeds into the recommendations the PRRG will consider. It only takes a few minutes, and every response helps build a more accurate picture of what our workforce actually needs. Have YOUR SAY here.
April 2026 — Focus Groups & Interviews
Consultation has moved into its next stage: dedicated focus groups with coaches, adjudicators and examiners at every level, plus one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders identified by the PRRG. Combined with the survey responses received in March, this is building a rich, evidence-based picture of the barriers and opportunities across our programs — particularly around consistency between states, access to training, and communication from ACF.
June 2026 — Findings & Recommendations
The consultation phase is complete, and its findings have been brought together into a Recommendations Report for the PRRG’s consideration. Throughout June, the PRRG has been working through each recommendation in detail, testing it against what the review found and what’s practical to implement — culminating in a Collective Position that will go to the ACF Board for consideration. Nothing is decided yet, but the shape of what’s ahead is becoming clear.
July 2026 — Board Endorsement & CORE Stage 4
The ACF Board has formally endorsed the PRRG’s Collective Position on all recommendations, and confirmed the PRRG’s mandate to continue into the next phase. This work now has a name — CORE (Coach & Official Recognition & Education) — and a tagline that captures what it’s building toward: Three Programs | One Framework. The PRRG moves into Stage 4 now: mapping the detailed Framework, recommendation by recommendation, over the coming months.
Stage tuned for the next update in mid July