Victorian Government commits $4.9 million in grants for World Game Facilities Fund

The Victorian Government has announced that more than $4.9 million in grants has been allocated to boost to grassroots football facilities through its World Game Facilities Fund.

Among the 13 projects backed by the 2019/20 round of the Fund, $500,000 will go towards a new pavilion and pitch lighting at Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve in the Bass Coast Shire.

Once complete, the pavilion will feature female friendly change rooms, a referees room, canteen, accessible toilet and first aid and storage rooms. Along with the installation of 100-lux lighting, the Wonthaggi United Soccer Club will have a new home ground advantage for its growing number of junior and female members.

Other allocations include $400,000 towards a new pavilion at the home of the Hume Spears Sports Club – at Seth Raistrick Recreation Reserve in Campbellfield – and more than $185,000 towards new lighting at McIvor Reserve, Yarraville – the home of the Yarraville Glory Football Club.

Since 2018, the World Game Facilities Fund has invested $9.9 million in 38 infrastructure projects with a total project value of $25.5 million.

This phase of the fund will provide grants of up to $500,000 to councils and alpine resort boards to improve facilities including lighting, turf pitch redevelopments, synthetic pitches and female friendly change rooms.

Advising that the Victorian Government has invested more than $915 million in community sport and recreation infrastructure since 2014, Victorian Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence advised “we’re making sure that women and men, and girls and boys, of all abilities have the facilities they need to play the sports they love.”

Football Victoria has welcomed the investment with Chief Executive, Peter Filopoulos explaining “this significant funding will immediately go towards the biggest problem we have in football - our lack of proper facilities to cater for the thousands of Victorians who want to play our sport.”

Football Victoria Chairman Kimon Taliadoros hailed the news as a great result for all those who participate in the game right across Victoria, adding “when it comes to facility investment, our clubs have been crying out to us from day one and we promised to work with the Victorian Government to deliver the outcomes our sport needs. That’s what the World Game Facilities Fund is all about.

“We are a long way from the finish line, but the commitments made are giving us a real chance of securing the extra 420 Full-Size Equivalent pitches we need by 2026 to meet the demands of the football community.”

The next round of applications for the World Game Facilities Fund will open for applications in November.

For more information about the World Game Facilities Fund visit sport.vic.gov.au/grants-and-funding/our-grants/world-game-facilities-fund

Image courtesy of Football Victoria.