A mum has been left shocked and upset as her daughter's after-school sports club denied her a participation award, despite turning up every week.
It turned out the 10-year-old wasn't eligible for the award because the single mum hadn't volunteered enough for the after-school activity group.
Mum Jane, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, revealed she wasn't aware she needed to volunteer on four separate occasions for her daughter Beth (name has been changed) to qualify for the award, before it was too late.
The email, which was sent to the Jane, read: "At the end of the season, if a family has contributed less than four signups, their children will not be eligible for any end of season awards, regardless of the child's level of participation or performance during the season."
Jane only volunteered for Little Athletics, an activity programme for children aged three to 16 in Australia, on one occasion during the season, as her sister had agreed to supervise Beth.
However, at every other session Jane explained she had no choice but to supervise Beth herself, who has inattentive and hyperactive ADHD, as there was no other adult supervision.
She thought it was extremely unfair to expect her to leave her child, who has special needs, alone while volunteering as a single parent.
The frustrated 37-year-old told Kidspot: "I felt it wasn't right to punish the child and not the parent.
"I understand they need volunteers but I'm a single parent, so it's not like I have another person to watch her while I'm volunteering.
"It's a scary thing for me to leave my daughter, who has additional needs, alone for several hours in such a big place where no one is looking out for her. They don't make any concessions for that."
Parents of the children who took part in the sports club were sent an email less than two months before the season's end, detailing the rules.
The mum-of-one, from Sydney, added that both she and her daughter "didn't care" about the certificate, but it was the "attitude of not being flexible", they had a problem with.
After explaining her concerns to the sports club in a return email, suggesting other ways to volunteer, they were unable to reach a satisfying resolution.
Jane, who had offered to help out with things such as printing certificates and assisting with the setup of activities before the weekly meets, decided to stop taking Beth a few weeks before the season ended. She has now enrolled her in a different activity instead.
Little Athletics explained to the publication that it is a "totally voluntary organisation" which can't operate without the assistance of parents.
A Little Athletics Australia spokesperson told The Mirror: "Little Athletics like all community sport relies upon volunteers. The nature of Little Athletics means that the reliance on volunteers at Centres and Clubs is greater than other sports which has evolved into the Little Athletics Community of Family Fun and Fitness.
"National Volunteer week was just celebrated as a week-long event which recognises the vital support that the millions of volunteers provide to their communities across Australia including community sport such as Little Athletics.
"Nationally Little Athletics has over 500 Centres who each work hard to encourage and secure volunteers who are essential to provide inclusive opportunities and experiences for 90,000 athletes ranging in ages from 3 – 17.
"Little Athletics Australia recognises that the not everyone can or is willing to volunteer for a range of reasons and that Little Athletics Centres work hard to strike a fair and equitable consistent set of volunteer requirements for all."
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