Manningham United Blues FC boosted by $300,000 grant for LED lighting upgrades

Manningham United Blues FC have received a $300,000 funding grant which will be used for lighting upgrades at the club’s home at Timber Ridge Reserve.

The funding has been provided through a partnership between the local Manningham Council and the Victorian Government, through their World Game Facilities Fund.

The upgrades will see a new 50 LUX LED floodlight system installed at the ground in the coming months, consisting of 4 new LED lighting towers which will light up two full size pitches and a small side pitch at the reserve.

President of Manningham United Blues FC, Mark Giuliani, believes the new upgrades will have a positive impact on the local community.

“Looking at the wider community, the new system will have a significant effect in reducing the lighting-up of neighbouring backyards,” he told Soccerscene.

“Obviously, the lighting system we have now is pretty old and it just sprays light everywhere, whereas LED lighting is very accurate and precise.

“So, in terms of the local residents, that will be the number one benefit for them as they won’t have their backyards impacted.”

The club will also benefit significantly from the improved lighting system in the years to come.

“In terms of us, there’s numerous things I think we are going to benefit from,” Giuliani said.

“One main benefit is definitely the financial aspect, the system we have now is pretty old and each year we spend at least $1000 on globe replacements.

“The running costs will also be better off now that the lights are LED and this will be an important financial gain for us.

“On top of that, we will definitely get a much more even spread and better lighting on that facility now, rather than what we’ve got in the past.”

Giuliani explained that under the new lights, night games will soon be allowed to be hosted at the club’s home ground, which hasn’t been permitted in the past.

This, however, will only apply up to a certain competition grade and will depend on the LUX it will provide.

“We were offered the option to chip in some extra funding to bring it up to a certain LUX for NPL games, but at the moment the club is not in a financial position to make that extra investment,” he said.

“It is however NPL ready, so all the wirings and powering, the lighting towers, the fixtures up in the towers, they will all be ready if we want to upgrade to host NPL games.”

The senior male team currently competes in NPL2 after securing promotion to the NPL system in recent years.

Manningham itself, has a strong, yet relatively recent history. After humble beginnings in 1999 with only a few junior teams initially, the club merged with Fawkner Blues SC in recent years and now has 39 teams and around 2000 members.

The club has now become the biggest community club in Manningham through factors such as their female program, which continues to expand across the board.

Facilities have been key to their growth and alongside the announcement of the new lighting setup, the club has received recent clubroom upgrades at Timber Ridge Reserve, through funding from the local council.

“We have also just had a recent upgrade to our Timber Ridge Reserve, in terms of our clubrooms – it was a $300,000 upgrade which was funded through Manningham Council, which we are extremely thankful for,” Giuliani said.

Since 2018, the World Game Facilities Fund has invested $13.2 million in 48 game-changing infrastructure projects with a total value of more than $41 million. The next round of the World Game Facilities Fund will open for applications in August 2021.

For more information visit: sport.vic.gov.au/grants-and-funding/our-grants/world-game-facilities-fund

Avatar
Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

Western Australian Government offers funding for sporting and recreational events

WA Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program 2023

The Western Australian Government has released details on a financial support program to assist sport and active recreation organisations within the state, in hopes of strengthening and diversifying the sporting and physical activity options for WA and increase participation.

The Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program looks at bolstering the arts, culture, sports, and Indigenous Australian attractions of the state to a global audience.

Grants up to $50,000 are available, with 3 distinct categories on offer:

  1. Event Projects: Funding support for specific sports and recreation projects. Funding of up to $15,000 is available
  2. Event Hosting: Assistance for organisations hosting sports events. Funding up to $50,000 is available.
  3. Country Sport Enrichment Scheme: Focusing on enhancing sports opportunities in regional areas. Funding up to $30,000 is available.

The WA Government is encouraging all groups that qualify to apply, to do so in order to grow the sporting sector of Western Australia. All levels of sporting organisations from local to national are viable to apply, as well as national league clubs, community and recreation organisations, and any other sport clubs.

To be eligible, organisations must have the following:

  • Possess an Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • Hold sufficient insurance cover during the entirety of the grant period (this needs to be provided in application). Public Liability Insurance needs to be set at a minimum of $10 million per claim.
  • The state or national body (if this applies to your organisation) must provide evidence of support of the event being conducted in Western Australia.
  • Compliance with all relevant COVID-19 regulations and safeguards.
  • Be incorporated under the Associations Incorporations Act 2015 (WA) or a company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) or a registered local government entity in Western Australia.

For projects to be completed between January and June 2024, applications close at 5pm AWST on Monday, October 16, 2023.

A second round of funding is available for projects for July-December 2024. These will open January 29 next year 9am AWST, and closes February 26 at 5pm AWST, 2024.

It is essential that all applicants read and understand the Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program guidelines prior to submitting an application.

Click here for more information.

Victorian Government’s Sporting Club Grants Program applications approaching close date for 2023

Sporting Club Grants Program 2023

With the 2023 football season done and dusted, Victorian grassroots football clubs and organisations are invited to apply for the Victorian State Government’s Sporting Clubs Grants Program, with Round 1 of funding closing 4pm, Thursday October 12.

The program’s aim is developing safety and sustainability within grassroots football clubs, as well as driving social and active local communities.

The Sporting Club Grants Program (SCGP) offers grants for a few key issues including:

  • Uniforms and essential participation equipment, first-aid, and safety
  • Increasing equity, diversity, and inclusiveness
  • Create opportunities for Victorians to participate and increase participation in areas which have low participation rates.
  • Build a sporting culture which reflects the changing community needs.

Applications are only accepted from community-based organisations involved in the delivery of sport and active recreation in Victoria.

Applicants must be non-government, not-for-profit, operating in Victoria and registered as one of the following entities:

  • an incorporated association
  • a company limited by guarantee.
  • an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation.

Eligible applicants can only submit one application in one of the following three categories:

Category 1: On-field Uniforms or Equipment

Up to $1,000 to purchase on-field playing uniforms, participation equipment for competitors and active participants, safety, injury prevention and first-aid equipment.

Category 2: Volunteers and Officials

Up to $2,000 for projects that provide improvements to volunteering and officiating.

Category 3: Access and Engagement

Up to $1,000 for tools and resources that improve accessibility, governance and strengthen engagement with members and participants, or up to $4,000 to plan and deliver a new sport or active recreation program.

Eligible applicants can submit one or more applications in the following category:

Category 4: Competitors

Up to $750 towards the costs of travel, accommodation and event registration fees for individual athletes selected to attend representative competition, selection trials or training camps. These cannot be for team travel.

Funding notes

Organisations that received a grant from the 2022-23 SCGP cannot apply for funding in categories 1, 2 or 3 are ineligible. All eligible organisations can, however, apply for category 4 funding.

The SCGP website also has walkthrough questions and guidance, to ensure your club makes the best decision for which category will best improve your club’s infrastructure. Particularly coming off the back of the success the Matildas sparked across the country, grassroots clubs are encouraged to integrate girls’ football as much as possible into the community, increasing diversity, and equality of participation.

Applicants must submit a completed online application via the Department’s Grants Portal before 4pm on 12 October 2023. Notification outcomes are to be released in December 2023.

Round 2 of the SCGP will open February 20 2024, and close March 20 2024, with notification outcomes scheduled for May 2024.

You must apply for funding within the category for which your project is supported.  Applications submitted in the incorrect category will be ineligible for funding.

To apply and for more information, click here.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend