Greater Sydney clubs receive $10 million for infrastructure upgrades

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Football clubs in Greater Sydney have a share of $10 million in funding, as part of Round 1 of the Greater Cities Sports Facility Fund.

Football clubs in Greater Sydney have a share of $10 million in funding, as part of Round 1 of the Greater Cities Sports Facility Fund.

15 football projects were announced – ranging from new amenity buildings, synthetic fields, lighting upgrades and field renovations.

The NSW Government has confirmed a major investment in sports facilities across NSW, awarding more than $52 million in grants under the Greater Cities and Regional Sport Facility Fund.

NSW Minister for Sport Natalie Ward said the projects are to improve accessibility, inclusion and participation opportunities for females and people with disability.

Football funding was spread throughout Greater Sydney, from as far south as Fairy Meadow (Illawarra United Stingrays) and west in the Bankstown region (Padstow) and into Sydney’s northwest region (Kenthurst Park).

Sutherland Shire FA benefitted from three successful projects worth over $1.4 million towards amenity upgrades and a major lighting upgrade to Heathcote Oval.

Canterbury District Soccer Football Association clubs scored $2 million in funding with the implementation of Waterworth Park ($1 million) and a new amenity building at Ewen Park for Hurlstone Park Wanderers FC also assisted with $1 million.

Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge thanked the NSW Government for its support to bring these much-needed infrastructure upgrades to clubs.

“The funding from the NSW Government will assist our football clubs in meeting the future demand of the largest sport in Australia and NSW,” Hodge said.

“The NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy recognises that football demand is already exceeding facility supply. If action is not taken now to plan infrastructure over the coming decade, then the gap will widen and opportunities to play will be lost.”

Seven venues received funding for amenity upgrades, supporting Football NSW’s focus area of increasing and improving gender neutral player and match official change room provision under the Inclusive Football Facilities pillar of the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy.

Amenity upgrades will help improve the current facility situation where only one in five amenity buildings are gender neutral and female friendly across NSW.

As the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is only two years away, infrastructure projects funded in Round 1 will provide an enormous benefit for clubs as they future proof their venue in anticipation of increased female participants over the coming years.

The successfully funded projects will allow players, coaches, referees and volunteers of all abilities to fully enjoy their football experience well into the future.

A full list of successful recipients from the Greater Cities Facility Fund, Round 1 can be found here.

An extra $25 million will be made available in Round 2 of the Greater Cities Sports Facility Fund which is expected to open shortly.

Clubs and associations seeking funding for the next round should contact Daniel Ristic from the Facilities and Advocacy Unit at Football NSW.

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Liam Watson is the Co-Founder & Publisher of Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy, industry matters and technology.

The 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund to cater for participation boom

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2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund
Image via Pxhere

The Victorian Government’s 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund is a state-wide investment, open until December 13, 2023.

This fund was created to adapt to the increasing need for infrastructure that is required for regular active sport and recreation.

Utilising three streams, sports clubs, facility managers and community organisations will all benefit from the following grants:

  • Community Facilities – up to $300,000
  • Community Sports Lighting – up to $250,000
  • Planning – up to $40,000

Led by Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, the creation of infrastructure will be made possible by planners, architects, engineers, project managers,
builders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, facility managers and operational staff as part on the construction process. In turn, this has a direct link back to the local economy and offers hundreds of jobs.

For sporting & recreation clubs, sporting associations & leagues, educational institutions, not-for-profit community organisations, businesses and individuals looking to apply for the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund, an important note is that they cannot do so directly. Instead, they will coordinate this with Local Government Authorities and the Alpine Resorts Victoria who will apply on their behalf.

Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday December 13 2023 – with successful candidates of the 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund announced from April 2024.

For full information and resources, you can view those here.

Football Queensland remain with Kappa for five more seasons until 2028

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Football Queensland & Kappa partnership extension
Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland have announced a five-year partnership extension with iconic international sports brand Kappa as its official apparel partner from 2024.

This relationship between the two parties has been very strong since they first partnered all the way back in 2017 and reinforces the support for football in Queensland that the brand has had.

Kappa has provided quality garments for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan and the Italian National team.

It’s a brand that was established in 1916 in Turin and eventually in 1978 they rebranded themselves to branch out as a sportwear brand where they focused purely on football-related products and designs.

For Football Queensland, they currently produce and provide quality on and off-field apparel for all Queensland State Representative teams including the state’s futsal representative squads. Kappa also provide on-field apparel for the game’s referees on the FQ website.

They also helped sponsor and start up the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments that debuted in late 2021 and 2022 respectively for clubs to participate in across the state.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci was extremely pleased to announce this partnership extension following Kappa’s amazing support.

“Football Queensland is incredibly excited to announce Kappa as our official apparel partner for the next five years following a competitive tender process which saw us receive 20 expressions of interest and 15 submissions of an extremely high quality,” Cavallucci said via Football Queensland press release.

“In their seven years as a Football Queensland partner, Kappa has provided fantastic support to Football Queensland, our clubs and the wider football community thanks to their quality of apparel, ability to deliver on their promises and the team’s unwavering commitment to customer service.

“We’ve built a wonderful working relationship with the team at Kappa thanks to their willingness to go above and beyond to deliver outcomes for our organisation and our game, and we’re delighted to continue working in partnership with them from next year.”

Kappa Australia Director Ze’ev Bogaty shared the same sentiment for the great relationship the two parties have created.

“Kappa is a strong supporter of football in Queensland and has been proud to invest in the game since the partnership with Football Queensland began in 2017,” Bogaty mentioned in the FQ press release.

“Some highlights of the partnership have included the development of the teal shirt for first year referees, witnessing Queensland state sides dominate on the national stage in Kappa kit, and the launch of the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments.

“As we embark on another five years as the state’s official apparel partner and continue our close working relationship with Football Queensland, we look forward to contributing even more to the growth and success of football across the state.”

There is a shared goal of improving the grassroots game in Queensland from both parties and the track record of Kappa’s immense investment over the past seven years has shown that this extension will do wonders for Queensland football.

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