Football venues in regional NSW have received an injection of funding thanks to the Stronger Country Community Fund – Round 5.
The Stronger Country Communities Fund (SCCF) aims to boost the wellbeing of communities in regional areas by providing new or upgraded social and sporting infrastructure, or community programs that have strong local support.
Since 2017, the Stronger Country Communities Fund has provided $660 million for more than 2,530 local projects that make regional communities even better places to call home. The SCCF continues to deliver grassroots projects in every single Local Government Area in regional NSW.
Round 5 has shown substantial investment into the betterment of Football in NSW regional areas with over $2.3 million worth of funding allocated. This was split with over $1.9 million allocated within the Football NSW footprint and just under $500,000 within the Northern NSW Football footprint.
The benefits are across multiple infrastructure and participation projects that aim to bring equity to our regional football participants.
Kindra Park , Marulan Soccer Field, Thompson Street Sporting Complex , Harry Moore Oval and Terry Reserve have all benefitted from the fund.
Projects include upgrades to field lighting, drainage, irrigation, and surface upgrades, along with community inclusion projects.
Harry Moore Oval, home of the Toukley-Gorokan Football Club received $520,000 to upgrade subsoil drainage and irrigation, the largest amount for any football venue. This infrastructure upgrade is on the tail end of a treacherous year of wet weather leaving local clubs limited access to fields due to flooding. The substantial financial commitment to Harry Moore Oval is in line with the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy of improving existing venue capacity.
“We know the presence of drainage and irrigation infrastructure has a significant impact on the continued capacity of playing fields,” said Football NSW, Manager Government Relations, Funding, and Infrastructure, Daniel Ristic.
“48% of football fields across NSW do not have drainage, and 40% don’t have automatic irrigation.
“The 400 plus members at Toukley-Gorokan FC will now be able to enjoy a quality venue with little to no disruption during the season.”
Many of the successful applicants have projects that are directly aligned with the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy. This will ensure facilities are improving their capacity to host training and competition and that facilities are inclusive for all participants.
The full list of successful applicants for Stronger Country Communities Fund can be viewed here
Further grant opportunities like Stronger Country Communities Fund can be found here under the “available grants” tab on the Football Facilities website.
