Govt asks for fast-tracked financial report after ‘troubling’ SportSA resignations
The state government has asked to see SportSA’s finances ahead of schedule after news three board members resigned earlier this week over financial transparency concerns.
The state government is asking SportSA to provide “earlier evidence” regarding its expenditure of taxpayer-funded grants after three board members resigned over financial concerns this week, InDaily can reveal.
The not-for-profit SportSA budget relies on about $1 million in government grant funding, which made up about 81 per cent of its total income in 2025, according to its latest annual report.
SportSA’s Finance and Risk Committee Chair Adam May – a former Adelaide 36ers CFO and current head of governance at Greyhound Racing SA – was one of three who exited the board, blaming “inadequate information” about the organisation’s 2026 financials and the proposed 2027 budget process.
A government spokesperson said financial transparency allegations were “concerning” and confirmed it was a condition of SportSA’s grant funding from the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing that the organisation must provide “detailed financial acquittal reports to show how the funds have been expended in accordance with the approved purpose of the grant”.
“The financial acquittal report for the $1 million grant SportSA received is due to be submitted to the ORSR by October 31, 2026,” the spokesperson said.
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“In light of the concerns raised about SportSA, which is a non-government organisation, the State Government is requesting that SportSA provide earlier evidence in relation to the expenditure to date and progress against the obligations of the funding agreement.”
When asked for the new deadline, the spokesperson said the government was working with SportSA to get it as “expeditiously” as possible.
In a statement today, SportSA said the organisation “look forward to working with the government as they do their expected due diligence”.
“SportSA rejects recent allegations made by resigning board members and maintains that its financial reporting processes have been conducted in accordance with the organisation’s governance framework,” the statement said.
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“As a member-based organisation, we remain committed to the highest standards of governance, transparency and accountability. We believe members should have the opportunity to receive information and ask questions through the appropriate governance channels.
“Our annual general meeting will be held on 7 September 2026, where members will receive updates on the organisation’s activities, review the financial statements and hear from the board about SportSA’s ongoing work and priorities.”
SportSA is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation and the peak body for the state’s sport industry. It has about 200 member groups, including the Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Football Club, Netball South Australia, RecFish SA, Softball South Australia, SANFL, SA Cricket Association, SA Country Basketball, Rugby Union SA, Royal Life Saving, RacingSA and Little Athletics SA.
Shadow Treasurer Ben Hood also said it was “troubling to hear that a number of SportSA board members have expressed their concerns to the point of resignation”.
“Given the significant taxpayer dollars the organisation receives, we would urge the government to take this issue seriously,” Hood said.
Greyhound Racing SA governance head Adam May, chartered accountant Kelly Hamlyn, and communications CEO Alex Hammett resigned from the SportSA board on Wednesday afternoon saying they had “lost confidence” in its governance.
Hammett and May joined the board in 2024, Hamlyn joined in October 2025. After Wednesday’s resignations, four board members remain: board president Pat Mickan, vice president Mark Giancaspro, John Holland and Kristyn Bell.
A SportSA spokesperson said yesterday the organisation would not comment further on personnel matters “out of respect for individual privacy and confidentiality”.
An already-scheduled board meeting would occur in the “very near future and all operational matters continue unencumbered”, the spokesperson said.
In 2025, SportSA made an almost $14,000 surplus, up from about a $47,000 loss in 2024. The organisation’s largest expenditure was staff wages, followed by events like the SA Sport Hall of Fame and the Australian Masters Games, hosted in Port Augusta, according to its annual report.
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