Get ahead with the Significant Sporting Events Program

Staff Writer
Significant Sporting Events Program

The Victorian Government’s Significant Sporting Events Program has been helping sporting, community and events organisations for the whole financial year.

Now into its fifth round, the program offers funding for football clubs to host and run events, based around the operational costs it takes to get these off the ground.

In its entirety, the following organisations are eligible for funding:

  • National sporting organisations
  • State sporting associations
  • Regional sports assemblies
  • Local government authorities
  • Sport conference organisers
  • Local sporting clubs and associations
  • Private event organisations
  • Not for profit organisations
  • Venues.

Applicants are required to submit their applications at least six months prior to an event, so now is the perfect time for National Premier League or grassroots clubs to assess their end of season plans or celebration – such as an awards night – and make the most of this funding opportunity.

It is encouraged to call the Events unit of Sport and Recreation Victoria prior to submitting an application on (03) 9623 1429.

For full details and to apply, click here.

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Two Mid North Coast Football Clubs Secure NSW Government Infrastructure Grants

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Penrith
Two NNSW Clubs Secure Critical Infrastructure Grants

Great Lakes United and Gloucester SC have been awarded a near combined $340,000 in NSW Government infrastructure funding, with the grants addressing two of the most persistent and practical barriers to football participation in regional communities: poor drainage and inadequate facilities.

The funding comes through the NSW Government’s ClubGrants Category 3 Infrastructure Program, which drew 424 applications in this round and approved 22 projects. The program is designed to fund construction, renovation and fit-out of community infrastructure for disadvantaged NSW communities, including regional and remote areas, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and people with disability. Both successful football clubs fall under the Football Mid North Coast zone, administered by Northern NSW Football.

Gloucester SC received $254,603 to construct all-abilities toilets, showers and referee facilities. Great Lakes United secured $84,200 for drainage installation at Boronia Park Sports Complex, a project aimed at reducing weather-related disruptions and improving field usability across the season.

Infrastructure gaps that are holding the game back

Football is the largest participation sport in NSW, with close to 300,000 registered players using approximately 1,000 sites and 2,250 playing fields every week, yet the facilities supporting that participation aren’t built to handle the scale or diversity of the game as it exists today.

Northern NSW Football’s own assessment of the problem is frank. The federation has previously identified drainage, lighting and inclusive changerooms as the foundational infrastructure gaps most likely to determine whether facilities are functional, safe and accessible year-round.

Female football participation in NSW has grown by 26% since 2014, placing particular pressure on clubs whose amenities were not designed with women and girls in mind. Gloucester SC’s all-abilities toilet and shower block, while framed as an accessibility upgrade, carries that broader implication: facilities built for a narrower participation base are increasingly inadequate for the game being played in them.

NNSWF Government Relations Manager Gary Fisher said the outcomes reflected the kind of community-driven football the federation exists to support. “Great Lakes United and Gloucester SC are wonderful examples of community football driven by dedicated volunteers, passionate families and strong local spirit,” Fisher said. “This funding will make a meaningful difference in helping both clubs continue to grow and provide positive experiences for players of all ages and abilities.”

A federation building its case for government investment

The grants also reflect a deliberate shift in how Northern NSW Football engages with government funding. The federation has previously described football as under-funded and committed to engaging more diligently with government, including appointing a full-time government relations manager to advocate for the region. The ClubGrants outcome is a direct product of that approach.

NNSWF’s recently released Member Zone Infrastructure Strategies are designed to strengthen the federation’s alignment with government funding priorities, providing the evidence base needed to support grant applications and long-term facility planning.

“Ultimately we want to create more inclusive and accessible environments for everyone involved in the game while building stronger, more sustainable clubs and communities for the future,” says Fisher.

NNSWF’s own Facilities Fund, established in 2019, has invested more than $1.6 million in community infrastructure since inception, with partnering funding bringing the total project value to over $3.7 million. The ClubGrants wins for Gloucester SC and Great Lakes United extend that pattern of layered, multi-source funding.

Across 2025/26, a total of $12.75 million was allocated through two rounds of ClubGrants Category 3, building on the $12.6 million provided in 2024/25 for 83 projects. For two volunteer-run clubs on the NSW Mid North Coast, competing against 424 applications to land a place among 22 funded projects represents a significant outcome, and a sign that NNSWF’s government relations infrastructure is beginning to pay off.

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