Community Sport Funding

By John Berger

17 AUGUST 2023

Last week I had the privilege of representing the Minister for Community Sport in the other place Minister Spence at the official launch of the Orrong Park Tennis Centre redevelopment and the Orrong Romanis Reserve sports lighting upgrade – it is a mouthful because it is a big deal. The Andrews Labor government has invested $90,000 into new floodlights and $250,000 into a massive sports lighting upgrade, and you can see the difference. On Thursday night hundreds of kids were running around with their families proudly watching on. I am proud of the work our government is doing to support local community sports. We know the importance of physical activity, and sports unite our community – just look at the Tillies. Despite going down, their efforts to unite the nation will not be forgotten, nor will their impact on women’s sport.

We are investing $201 million to improve community sports and recreation facilities, including through the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund and the country football and netball program. This includes upgrades to create more female-friendly spaces, with better change rooms and outdoor lighting, and the Change our Game professional development scholarships program, which supports women to access professional development opportunities – but make sure you apply soon, as applications close on 28 August. With the Significant Sporting Events program the country football and netball program and the youth aquatic accreditation program, we have a range of active community sports grants available, and I encourage my community to visit sports.vic.gov.au to apply