Sporting grants to empower clubs

Over 650 clubs are set to share in more than $1 million from the Sporting Club Grants Program.

The program provides grants to help clubs grow, with support for equipment and uniforms, funding to upskill their volunteers and officials, deliver new programs and improve club effectiveness in their community.

This round invests $4,000 for Brunswick Magic Basketball Association’s new “Girls in Sport” program, which is running free workshops featuring a WNBL1 player to encourage girls’ participation.

Brunswick Magic Secretary Allison Berry said, ‘We're very excited to receive this funding. It will allow us to fund our Girls in Sport program, which is designed to increase the participation of girls in sport, especially between the ages of 12 and 14, when many tend to drop out of community sports.’

‘We're planning to engage WNBL players to run workshops throughout the school holiday periods to engage and inspire these young women to continue to participate in sports, not just at the community level; you never know, we might have a future Opal on our court!’ she said.

The newly established Port Melbourne Chargers Women's Football Club has scored over $1,700 for courses that enhance skills and build inclusive coaching methods that develop a strong foundation for future growth.

Port Melbourne Chargers President Kerry Ashbrook said, 'At Port Melbourne Chargers, our coaches are the backbone of our club culture and player development.'

‘As a new women’s only club, we’re committed to creating a high-quality coaching environment that supports women and girls at every stage of their football journey.’

‘Thanks to this grant, six of our coaches—some of whom are also players—will complete the Elevate Coaching Course, through AFL Victoria.’

‘This will strengthen our coaching capability, build leadership from within, and ensure we’re continuing to foster an inclusive, welcoming space for our community.'

‘This investment supports not just skill development—it helps us grow a sustainable, thriving future for women’s football in Port Melbourne,’ Kerry said.

The Victorian Roller Derby League have also scored almost $1,000 to expand their loan library to include a bigger variety of sizes of skates, bibs and safety gear to lend, so more people can come and try the sport for free.

Traralgon Table Tennis Association will put $1,000 towards new wheelchair-friendly competition tables for para table tennis.

The program is also rolling in $4,000 to help Trafalgar Park Bowls Club introduce pickleball to the community via a new 40-week program for people of all ages and abilities. Wangaratta Golf Club will also use $4,000 to offer a 6-week program to increase women's participation in golf.

Bannockburn Cricket Club will use its $1,500 funding boost to help two of their players in the Victorian U16s Indoor Cricket Team travel to the 2025 Junior Indoor Cricket National Championships in July in Perth, Western Australia.

The Sporting Club Grants Program has injected more than $19.5 million in support to thousands of community sport and recreation clubs across the state over the past decade.

The program is backed by the Regional Community Sport Development Fund that’s delivering infrastructure upgrades and other programs including the Regional Community Sport Infrastructure Fund to help more regional Victorians get active and be part of their local sporting club.

By providing more opportunities for clubs and organisations to build on their capabilities, this program goes a long way towards future proofing grassroots sport and recreation and ensuring clubs have the skills they need.

For more information on the grants and recipients visit the Sporting Club Grants Program.