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Western Australian Government offers funding for sporting and recreational events
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:
Event Projects: Funding support for specific sports and recreation projects. Funding of up to $15,000 is available
Event Hosting: Assistance for organisations hosting sports events. Funding up to $50,000 is available.
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.
On Thursday November 21st, Football NSW held its inaugural Futsal Expo at Valentine Sports Park, drawing over 100 coaches and members for a highly successful evening celebrating the sport.
The event featured an impressive line-up of international keynote speakers, including Vasco Da Gama’s Technical Director Gabriel Bussinger, former English FA Technical Lead and National Futsal Team Coach Peter Sturgess, and current Futsalroos coach Miles Downie, who all took centre stage during the evening.
Football NSW Futsal Manager, Jordan Guerreiro, said at the event.
“I think we all had an amazing opportunity to witness what great minds were able to provide through their advice and wisdom to our coaches in Gabriel Bussinger, Peter Sturgess and Miles Downie,” he said.
“The ideas and concepts on coaching at the younger phases of development of players and the importance of what we teach and how we coach is so crucial at this stage of development.”
Gabriel Bussinger provided valuable insights into the culture of Brazilian futsal, highlighting the significance of 1v1 situations and fostering bravery and creativity in players. He urged coaches to build players’ confidence in challenging defenders and unleashing their creative abilities.
Peter Sturgess delved into the rising trend of the Flying Goalkeeper in modern futsal, offering strategies for training goalkeepers to effectively use their feet in different scenarios—a crucial skill in today’s game.
“Key takeaways from the event included the potential for football clubs and coaches to incorporate futsal into their overall coaching strategy,” Guerreiro continued.
“By doing this, they can offer a broader range of learning environments and scenarios that nurture the adaptability, bravery, and creativity in players. The global impact of futsal on player development is undeniable, and it should be an integral part of football programs.”
Miles Downie shared his coaching philosophy and player development strategies, providing an in-depth account of his experiences with the national team and recent international competitions.
Aki Ionnas is the General Manager & Director of Football at the Oakleigh Cannons FC, whose senior men’s side were champions of the National Premier Leagues (NPL) Victoria in 2024.
Speaking with Soccerscene in a wide-ranging chat, Ionnas details why his club continues to have great success on and off the park – cementing themselves as one of the top clubs in the state.
First of all, going back a couple of months now, you were crowned champions of NPL Victoria in 2024 – tell me a little bit about how rewarding it was to win the GF in Victoria this past season?
It was an amazing season and we deserved the results from the hard work we put in. If we even look back a bit further, what we’ve shown in the last 3 years is that we’ve proved we are the best team in NPL Victoria.
We’ve won 2 Championships in that time, a Dockerty Cup, a Community Shield and a Premiers Plate – what else can I say, these are great achievements.
What were the factors that you think contributed to your success last season, but also the last few years?
First of all, Chris Taylor and his coaching team, who are absolutely fantastic and have been for a number of years. Chris is a top class coach and since he’s been with us, he has won us plenty of silverware. Our Football Operations person, John Ioannou, has also made a huge contribution to our success on the field – working very closely with Chris.
The entire board, the great support we have from sponsors, it’s all a big family and the results continue to speak for themselves.
Everyone works hard together for the same cause and that’s a main reason why we have been so successful.
How will you sustain that success moving forward into next season, what are your objectives for next season?
It’s always hard to sustain the success, it’s not easy at all. We are a close-knit club and we are now always going to be the hunted. Being the hunted is always difficult, but we will always continue to try and achieve our goals and be up there at the end of the season.
There’s a recent history of success that we’ve established, record Grand Final wins and also good results in the Australia Cup (reaching the quarter and semi-finals recently), so we’ve found the formula and I don’t see why we can’t continue that.
Image credit: One Nil Media
Are you able to provide an update on the facility upgrades at Jack Edwards Reserve, how is that progressing at the moment and when is it due for completion?
It’s all going great. Our 550 Lux light towers are now up and they will be operational in a couple of weeks. All of our home games next season will be on a Friday Night, so everything is going to plan, which is amazing to see.
Could you just detail what the other planned facility upgrades are for?
Council has contributed significantly to these upgrades – tell me a little bit more about how this will positively impact your club and the local community overall?
We definitely appreciate council’s support but also a big thanks goes to our Chairman Kon Kavalakis and our President Stan Papayianneris – these two have been instrumental in getting this project up and running.
The facilities are great and it’s a hub for the local community in the area; it’s going to be fantastic and really take the club to the next level. We’ve seen success on the park and now we’re starting to see the success off the park. We’re going to be one of Melbourne’s leading clubs in the state of Victoria.
Of course, we’d love to be a part of the national second division. We have some of the best facilities in the state, we are looking very positively at the idea (of joining a national second tier).
Image credit: One Nil Media
What were the reasons around why the club wasn’t amongst the foundation clubs of the competition?
We initially just wanted to wait and see more of the details come out at the time of submission. Now that more details have come out into the open, it’s looking very positive overall.
With NPL Premiers across the country invited to join next year’s NSD, are you aware of the financial expectations if you were to win the premiership in NPL Victoria next season and get invited to the national competition (have they been communicated from FA to the clubs?)
No not as yet, but we expect those details to come out when appropriate.
What do you personally think of the NSD’s “Champions League” model, as opposed to the Home and Away model?
I personally think it’s a great start (with the announcement of the Champions League model) and if it was to be a home and away season eventually, we would look at those details when they come out and make a further decision.
Just back on the club, obviously women’s football participation continues to boom in the state – is an NPL Women’s side for your club on the immediate agenda for you to implement?
It’s definitely on the agenda and it’s a high priority for us. We have people in the background working on this and with the participation rates great around the women’s game it.
Image credit: One Nil Media
What does the future for the club look like Aki? Obviously, there are very positive signs – where do you see the club positioned over the next few years and what are its main objectives?
We want this club to continue its strong success in all areas. We are always striving for this club to be competing for silverware, whether that’s in Victoria or on a national level.
