Help For Sporting Clubs To Negotiate Restrictions Hurdle

The Victorian Government is delivering more support for grassroots sports clubs and their members with new payments towards costs associated with coronavirus restrictions.

Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today announced grants of $2,000 were available for clubs hit hard by the effects of the latest restrictions.

“This funding will help clubs that have lost revenue due to event cancellations, to support them and their members through to the other side of the pandemic,” Spence said.

“Our community sporting clubs have been recovering strongly this year and with support, will quickly resume their momentum once the current restrictions have been lifted.”

The grants from the Sporting Club Grants Program are available for clubs that have incurred costs that cannot be recouped after events or activities were cancelled or postponed. Costs available to be claimed include cancellation fees for facilities, coaches and officials, as well as loss of perishable goods and booking fees.

Previous grant recipients include Central Victoria Swimming which received $2,000 towards recouping event costs for program printing and medals and trophies after a two-day carnival was cancelled.

Park Orchards Basketball Club received $2,000 towards hall hire and registration costs associated with the cancellation of their 3 x 3 Hustle tournament and Mount Prospect District Tennis Association received $2,000 for catering and court preparation costs after two of its events were cancelled.

The Sporting Club Grants Program is part of the Government’s work to make sport more accessible and inclusive, stimulate local economies, build sustainable sport and recreation and volunteer opportunities, and increase local participation.

Grassroots clubs and organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible with applications closing this Friday.

The Government has also allocated more than $30 million to clubs, leagues, state associations and other organisations from the Community Sport Sector COVID-19 Short-Term Survival Package.

For more information on the grants program and a full list of recipients go to sport.vic.gov.au/grants-and-funding.