Wellington Phoenix to be in tip-top shape with Anytime Fitness

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Anytime Fitness and Wellington Phoenix
Image credit: Anytime Fitness

Wellington Phoenix has announced an exciting partnership with global fitness chain Anytime Fitness.

The deal will grant the entire club access to Anytime Fitness locations both in New Zealand and Australia.

Anytime Fitness has a considerable market share in both nations 24/7 locations found in 60 spots in New Zealand, and 540 clubs in Australia. The brand has in total 5000 gyms globally.

Under the agreement, club players will have access to all these facilities – a huge win for the often-travelling club.

In recent years, the Phoenix had struggled to find training facilities when they were away from their training base at The New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt.

However, with this new deal the club is confident that players both in the first teams and their academy sides will now have access to state-of-the-art facilities even when they are on the road.

The Phoenix’s head of strength and conditioning, Weijie Lim, heralded the deal as a ‘game changer’ for the club.

“I think it’s really beneficial for us at all levels of the club,” he said via press release.

“When the men and women are in Australia during the A-Leagues seasons the players now have top quality facilities they can utilise.

“In the past it’s been quite difficult for us to find accessible facilities in different cities and states across Australia. This partnership is going to make our lives a lot easier when we’re on the road.

“Anytime Fitness’ central Wellington gym is also great for the club, especially for our top end academy players, who can now get all their strength work done together in one centralised location.

“The staff at Kent Terrace are very welcoming and it’s a convenient gym for players to access and utilise throughout the season.”

Anytime Fitness New Zealand CEO Cam Ward also expressed his company’s thrill at paring with the nation’s club.

“At Anytime Fitness, we believe in the power of community and the transformative effects of fitness on individuals’ lives,” he added via press release.

“Teaming up with the Wellington Phoenix aligns perfectly with our mission to inspire healthier lifestyles and create a positive influence within the community.

“This collaboration marks an exciting chapter in our journey to make fitness accessible to all, and we can’t wait to see the positive outcomes it brings forth.”

This is an exciting deal for both partners as they look to grow.

For Anytime Fitness, they will be looking to the club’s branding power as a strong incentive to get more gym goers to choose them.

In the Phoenix’s case, the security this deal brings to their training and recovery programs may just be the push that the club needs to boost itself beyond the mid-table in the upcoming A-League seasons.

This partnership is also great for club members who will be able to get 10% off on a 12 month Anytime Fitness membership.

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

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2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund
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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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