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Who can apply?
Applications may be submitted for community sport and recreation infrastructure projects from eligible applicants, including:
- local government authorities
- incorporated, not-for-profit organisations whose primary purpose is to facilitate community sport and recreation activities for example sport and recreation clubs and associations
- Victorian state sporting associations or a national sporting organisation seeking to invest in a community infrastructure projects
- incorporated not-for-profit and private facility managers with long-term community facility management arrangements
- private enterprises with long term community access arrangements
- educational institutions such as universities or non-government schools (schools not in a position to borrow funds are encouraged to work with project partners).
Who is ineligible?
General government sector agencies generally are not able to borrow from Treasury Corporation of Victoria as they are funded through the budget process. These entities include:
- Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Councils
- Parks Victoria
- Kardinia Park Trust
- Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust
- State Sports Centre Trust
- TAFEs
- Public primary and secondary schools
A full list of ineligible government sector entities can be found in Appendix C of the Auditor-General’s Report on the Annual Financial Report of the State of Victoria: 2018–19
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Timelines
Program Open: 7 October 2021
Program Close: 10 December 2021
Announcements: mid-June 2022
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Apply now
- Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme 2021-22 Business Case (accessible)
- Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme 2021-22 Business Case (word)
Applicants must complete the 2021-22 Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme Business Case template and submit all relevant supporting documentation for an application to be considered complete.
To submit their application, applicants must send their CSILS business case and supporting documentation to loans@sport.vic.gov.au. When submitting an application, applicants must quote their organisation and project name in the subject line of the email/s (e.g. ABC Sports - Smith Reserve Lighting).
Applicants may choose to utilise a file sharing service to submit supporting documentation. Access must be granted to loans@sport.vic.gov.au
Applications must be submitted by 5:00pm Friday 10 December 2021.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email confirming receipt of their application the following working day.
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Supporting document templates and guides
- Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme - Cash flow template (Excel)
- Project Management Template (Word)
- Fact Sheet Schedule of Use (Word)
- Schedule of Use Template (Excel)
- Detailed Area Schedule Example and Template (Excel)
- Project Governance Template (Word)
- Instructions and Explanatory Notes for Completing a Community Joint Use Proposal
- Community Joint Use Proposal Template
Fact sheets and guides
These publications are intended for use as a guide only and further specialist advice should be sought on the specifics of your project:
- Design for Everyone Guide
- Sport and Recreation Victoria Infrastructure Grants – Acknowledgement and Publicity Guidelines (pdf)
- Sport and Recreation Victoria Infrastructure Grants – Acknowledgement and Publicity Guidelines (Word)
- Female Friendly Sport Infrastructure Guidelines
- This Girl Can - Helping women and girls get active
- AFL Victoria Facilities Resources
- Netball Victoria Facilities Resources
- Football Victoria Facilities Resources
- Community Cricket Facilities Guidelines
- Tennis Australia National Tennis Facility Planning and Development Guide
- Artificial Grass For Sport Guide (pdf)
- Artificial Grass For Sport Guide (Word)
- Croquet Facility Guide
- Good Play Space Guide: "I can play too" (pdf)
- Good Play Space Guide: "I can play too" (Word)
- Fact Sheet Environmentally Sustainable Design (Word)
- Fact Sheet Universal Design (Word)
- Healthy Choices: policy guidelines for sport and recreation centres
- PLA Open Space Planning Guide
- Female participation in sport and physical activity a snapshot of the evidence
- Physical activity across life stages
- Provision of drinking water fountains in public areas
- Welcoming Sport
- Engaging culturally and linguistically diverse women and girls in sports
- Women in sport and recreation in Australia
- Barriers to sports participation for women and girls
- Retaining the Membership of Women in Sport
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Program assistance
Questions related to this program can be directed to email loans@sport.vic.gov.au
For general Sport and Recreation Victoria grant enquiries, please call the Grants Information Line on 1800 325 206 between 9 am and 5.00pm weekdays.
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Case study
The first completed project supported through the Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme was the Grange P-12 College Learn to Move gymnastics facility

Providing organisations access to low interest rate loans between $500,000 and $10 million to deliver community sport and recreation infrastructure.
The 2021-22 Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme will support the delivery of a new round of community sport and recreation infrastructure by providing organisations access to government guaranteed loans between $500,000 and $10 million.
Successful applicants, delivering community sport and active recreation infrastructure that respond to issues identified in the sport and recreation industry and that contribute to the outcomes sought in the Active Victoria Strategic Framework will be granted low-interest loans though Treasury Corporation Victoria with Sport and Recreation Victoria subsidising interest repayments.
The objectives of the loans scheme include:
- Support the delivery of community sporting infrastructure that will increase participation opportunities for Victorians, placing a focus on areas of disadvantage and underrepresented groups.
- Encourage organisations such as local government to bring forward community sport and recreation infrastructure delivery.
- Increase opportunities for investment in the delivery of community sport and recreation infrastructure.
- Support a range of organisations that can demonstrate the capability and capacity to deliver the Victorian Government’s objectives as outlined in the Active Victoria Strategic Framework.
- Encourage a collaborative approach to the delivery of community sport and recreation infrastructure.
Outcomes of successful projects may include:
- Increase in sport and recreation participation opportunities by addressing gaps in community sport and recreation infrastructure provision.
- Provide increased access to sport and recreation participation for underrepresented groups.
- Improve physical and mental health and wellbeing in traditionally disadvantaged communities such as low socio-economic areas, growth areas, and communities experiencing long-term disadvantage.
- Facilitate the upgrade and development of significant metropolitan and regional community sport and recreation infrastructure.
- Stimulate local economic activity through the planning, building, maintenance, management and activation of redeveloped or new infrastructure.
Projects that may be supported under the scheme include, but are not limited to:
- New or redeveloped indoor or outdoor aquatic leisure facilities
- New or redeveloped indoor sports stadiums
- New or upgraded multi-sport precincts that include the delivery of sports fields, sports courts and pavilion/s
- Active recreation infrastructure including but not limited to trails, play spaces, skate parks and BMX tracks
- New or redeveloped sporting pavilions
- Sporting surface upgrades and developments
- Privately owned facilities where public access is provided
- Sporting infrastructure on school land with a joint use agreement confirming community use.