Who We Are
The ACU is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that delivers standards and policy for the Australian Cheer and Dance community as well as management of Australian National teams representing our country.
The Australian Cheer Union is the amalgamation of two organisations - the ACU and ACSA (Australian Cheer Sport Alliance). ACU (established in 2019) and ACSA (established in 2017) merged together into a unified body in 2024 to create a single peak national body with the goal of formalising the role that the sports key stakeholders (coaches, gym owners and event producers) have needed over the last 15 years – being to stimulate, encourage and regulate the sporting disciplines of cheerleading and dance within Australia.
We are the pre-eminent organisation taking responsibility for the development of the sport on a National level and our mission and purpose are to advance the sport of Cheerleading and Performance Cheerleading (Dance) by focusing on healthy competition and participation as well as overall growth for the sport in Australia.
The ACU believes that a good strong governance structure is important in ensuring the integrity of our industry and allows us the best platform to advance the sport of Cheerleading.
Our Objectives
The ACU has a number of Objectives that we wish to achieve in the Cheer and Dance community. The core priorities of our organisation are:
National Recognition
Fulfilling all the requirements of the Australian Sports Commission to be awarded the title of a National Sports Organisation. This will unlock significant opportunities for athletes and coaches to engage their local & state governments for funding and participant support as well as give the sport access to resources such as the National Sport Integrity Framework.
Safety & Rules
Establishing and maintaining standardised rules, safety guidelines and competition standards across all disciplines of the sport that drive outcomes aligned with the overall goals of the organisation.
Education
Establishing a training curriculum and accreditation process for coaches and judges. ACU will aim for these programs to be certified and they will be based on the current Industry standard accreditation. It will also facilitate IASF accreditation for coaches with teams travelling internationally.
Growth of the Sport
Promoting our sport to the wider community and foster growth within our grassroot initiatives & encourage and develop the growth of performance cheer & dance programs.
Meet Our Board
The ACU National Board of Directors is made up of respected leaders in our sport along with strategic appointees who bring crucial skills and experience to Not for Profit boards.
The board is there to provide guidance and deliver resources to our organisation, along with determining the strategic objectives and vision for the future of our sport. The composition of the ACU board includes 6 board positions elected by Members and 3 board appointed positions. Board tenures are for 2 years.
Edward Miles
President
Board Member
Edward has been a part of the Australian cheer industry since 2011 as a gym owner, and from 2013 onwards as a coach. Edward’s significant business and marketing background is a key driver for his involvement in ACSA and the ACU. He aims to encourage the promotion of our sport nationally and set up long lasting communication between each part of our industry towards becoming a wider community working towards the same goals.
Ashley Benstead
Vice President
Board Member
Biography coming soon...
Danelle Cooney
Team Australia Director
Board Member
Danelle is the Co-Owner and Program Director of Melbourne Cheer Academy. Danelle won the 2019 AASCF Mentor of the Year award and has previously worked on the ACSA board as the first gym owner representative. Her work in the industry has included policy development, education for gym owners and advocating for vulnerable groups. Danelle is passionate about representing and supporting gym owners and coaches and assisting them to build a community focused on the protection and positive development of the children and young people in our sport.
Jasmine Crowsley
Board Member
Biography coming soon...
Dena Piro
Secretary
Board Member
Dena has over 15years experience in All Star Cheer and Dance as an athlete, coach and Gym Owner. Her South Australian based program began all the way from hobby program and has evolved over the years into a full scale club in its own facilities. Dena looks forward to being a part of developing a better future for the Sport of Cheerleading & Dance in Australia.
Danielle Jimenez
Board Member
Danielle is the proud Managing Director of CheerCon along with her husband Alexander Jimenez. Danielle has been involved in Cheer & Dance for 16 years and was the original owner and head coach at Starlets Cheerleading in Sydney, sold in 2017 after 13 successful years. Danielle was also part of the GNSW Cheerleading committee in previous years. Danielle is passionate about the healthy growth of Cheer & Dance through the combination of Gym owners, EP's and valued experts in our Local and International community working together towards common goals.
Recognised International Bodies
ACU Strategic Plan
OUR MISSION: to lead, promote, grow and champion Cheerleading and Dance in Australia
OUR VISION: to advance the sport of Cheerleading and Dance through focusing on healthy and inclusive competition, supporting the growth and development of our participants and exercising best practice governance and administration.
OUR OPERATIONAL CONTEXT:
In 2008 Gymnastics Australia (GA) established Australian Cheerleading Union (ACU) as a wholly owned subsidiary of that National Sporting Organisation under the brand ‘AUS Cheer’. However, as a consequence of “Cheerleading [becoming] one of Australia’s fastest growing sports, which in turn has developed new requirements and attention to keep up with the growing demand”* GA divested itself of its leadership and management role as a result of its inability to meet this demand.
Following the separation of the cheerleading discipline from Gymnastics Australia’s National Sporting Organisation administrative umbrella in 2018, in May 2019 the International Cheer Union established the Australian Cheer Union (ACU) through creation of an Interim Board and appointment of Interim State Members to drive establishment of a National Federation.
Subsequent to that arrangement, the Interim Board and State Members initiated a range of corporate and policy development processes as well as working groups to lead development of a governance framework within and across the Australian Cheerleading community. Key outputs of this process as at 25 March 2020 include:
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acquisition of ASIC registration (Australian Cheer Union Ltd) and an ATO tax file number;
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ratification of a national constitution;
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conduct of an Annual General Meeting on 19 December 2019 and formal election of four (4) Directors to replace the Interim Board;
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establishment of an organisational bank account and attendant operating protocols for authorised officers;
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ratification of a national 2020-2023 Strategic Plan and subordinate 2020 Operational Plan;
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ratification of Membership Protection, Anti-doping, Financial Management and Reporting, Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policies;
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establishment of working group(s) to advance development of organisational governance, membership structure, communication and marketing, a calendar of sanctioned events, Team Australia selection processes and
special abilities programs; and,
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products and processes to support the establishment of Interim State Boards.
It is the ACU Board’s desire that the 2025 Strategic Plan provides a clear description of our developmental agenda and enabling strategies to help grow and shape the future of our sport into the future and across all Cheerleading and Dance disciplines.
* Gymnastics Australia, ACU Handover Notes, 2018, p3
KEY STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES
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Achieve recognition as a National Sporting Organisation
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Confirm and market membership benefits and activate membership recruitment
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Establish partnerships with commercial entities to secure sponsorship to supplement membership revenue, support financial sustainability and growth of an active, safe and inclusive Cheerleading community
OUR VALUES:
Inclusion: We celebrate difference by supporting inclusive participation
Integrity: We strive to be ethical, trustworthy, transparent and respectful
Excellence: We seek to inspire a culture of excellence in everything that we do
Collaboration: We encourage harmonious participation through consultation and teamwork
Pride: We celebrate our accomplishments with respect, dignity and professionalism
OUR GOALS AND ENABLING STRATEGIES:
Build awareness of Cheerleading with the general population
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Liaise and coordinate with Sport
Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee to achieve recognition as a National Sporting Organisation.
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Facilitate the development of a calendar of regional and state events culminating in qualification for a National Championship Event.
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Develop a strong brand and media profile by establishing media and social platform partnerships to increase awareness of our sport in the general population.
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Establish key financial sponsors to help fund our enabling strategies and supplement our membership revenue stream.
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Develop and roll out grassroots programs to build awareness of our sport and grow participation.
Create the infrastructure and support system to grow membership
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Create a mechanism to collect and
manage demographic membership
information nationwide
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Develop and implement a national
certification program for coaches
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Develop and implement a national
education program for judges
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Create resources such as guides and networking opportunities to assist the development and expansion of cheerleading programs within Australia
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Create a scholarship program for high performance national athletes
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Create an ACU website to promote and market cheerleading and provide access to information and resources for our sport.
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Create links with Local and State Governments to create pathways for funding; supporting teams at local, nationalandinternationallevels; and advocacy on issues that affect the operation and development of our sport.
Define and support all disciplines of cheerleading
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Align cheerleading rules and scoring with regional, state, national and international
organisations.
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Define cheerleading disciplines for
internal and external use
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Create a consistent Australian Cheer
Union brand for all cheerleading
disciplines within Australia.
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Create a marketing strategy for
promoting cheerleading in Australia
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Create a marketing strategy to promote Australian cheerleading to the international community and encourage international participation in Australian cheerleading events.
Ensure participation in all international and high performance athletic events
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Establish and publish fair and transparent processes for the selection of Team Australia representatives who participate at major events (in all categories).
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Work with State Members and Event Providers to establish a high performance program for identification and development of athletes and coaches from all disciplines of cheerleading.
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Establish a long term athlete, coach and judge developmental model to support recognition of cheerleading as a sport for life.
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Propose and support bids for International cheerleading competitions in Australia.
Our Constitution
Please find a copy of our constitution below.