Grassroots sports clubs in Western Victoria have won $33537 in grants to help more women and girls play the sports they love.
Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney announced 10 recipients of VicHealth’s Active Club Grants program.
The program is all about boosting access to grassroots sport and recreation so even more people can enjoy the benefits of a healthier and happier lifestyle.
The grants will help clubs establish new activities, competitions and programs that encourage more women and girls to get out on the pitch, and assist clubs that are starting up a social or modified sport program.
Some 145 clubs across the state have shared in $400,000 to buy vital sports equipment, uniforms and safety gear that will encourage more people to participate in sport and recreation.
Successful recipients in Western Victoria include:
- Warrnambool Basketball Inc will receive $10,000 for 10 x sports wheelchairs, advertising and marketing;
- Nestles Cricket Club, Warrnambool will receive $3000 for 13 player game and training shirts, 8 x helmets, batting pads, batting gloves, thigh guards and protectors, 8 X White Diamond bats, 8 x kit bags;
- Old Collegians Football Netball Club Inc will receive $2500 for 6 x footballs, promotion of program and training jumpers;
- City of Warrnambool Rowing Club will receive $2804 for sculling oars;
- Warrnambool Surf Life Saving Club will receive $2975 for 35 x sunshirts and bathers;
- Warrnambool Wolves Soccer Club will receive $2250 for uniform kits, balls, bibs, cones, goalie gloves, shinguards and marketing;
- Colac Baseball Club will receive $2631 for 20 playing tops, 10 helmets, helmet bag, 20 playing pants, Baseball Safe Base complete set, 5 doz playing/training/game day balls, 5 doz training machine batting balls and an enclosed portable batting tunnel;
- Corangamite Lions Football Club Inc will receive $2987 for 20 x balls, 2 x Porta Gol Pro 2.0, 2 x Porta Gol Pro 3.0, 2 x Porta Gol 5.0, 2 x dome set cones and newspaper advertising;
- Derrinallum Bowling Club will receive $2340 for 12 sets of bowls;
- Teesdale Tennis Club Inc will receive $2050 for 10 tennis racquets, 20 x cans tennis balls, Tennis Australia FAST4 Program registration, advertising and marketing costs;
The Andrews Labor Government is working hard to grow women’s participation in sport, so female athletes have the same opportunities and the same facilities as everyone else.
We’re the sporting state, and it doesn’t happen by chance. Our $100 million Community Sports Infrastructure Fund is helping communities all over Victoria to upgrade tired facilities and build the great grassroots venues they deserve.
The fund includes $10 million for Female Friendly Facilities to build or upgrade women’s change rooms, meaning female players will never again have to use make-shift areas to prepare for competition and training.
This is the biggest ever investment in women’s participation in sport by an Australian state government.
Last month we unveiled our new Change Our Game campaign to help more women and girls earn leadership roles in sport such as coaches, officials, board members and senior executives.
Labor’s Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2015-2019 outlines key priorities over four years to improve the health and wellbeing of all Victorians, particularly the most disadvantaged.
Quotes attributable to Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP
“We want everyone in Western Victoria to get active and embrace a healthy lifestyle, no matter what age or ability.”
“There’s no doubt sports clubs are at the heart of many communities. I congratulate these grassroots clubs who have won this grant to get more people moving and involved in new and fun social ways of playing sport.”
“For too long female sport participation rates have been lower than males. We’re fixing that, creating more opportunities for women and girls to play sport and building the world-class facilities they deserve.”