Sporting clubs should be for all

THERE has probably never been a time when the role and importance of government grants has been greater.

Rising construction costs combined with the current financial climate means that money does not stretch as far as it once did and local institutions such as sports clubs and community organisations now rely more than ever on assistance from all tiers of government to fund projects.

Last month, Council announced that 27 applications from community groups were to receive a share of $2,674,090 in Community Infrastructure Grants.

This program aims to assist with the renewal, upgrade or construction of new facilities to provide a better level of service, increased programs or improve how spaces function.

Having seen the impact these grants have had in the past I trust this will be greatly appreciated again.

But it is not only local bodies and groups who need to apply for funds to get projects off the ground or completed.

Even Council requires assistance from both state and federal governments via their budgetary processes or respective grant programs.

At our February meeting, Council resolved to apply for Victorian Government funding to help deliver community sports upgrades totalling more than $10.7 million.

We did this by approving the submission of applications to the Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund (RCSIF).

Among the selected projects was a $4.25 million all-abilities pavilion at Wallington Reserve.

Council also pre-committed $3.25 million in our upcoming 2024-25 budget to support this project, with the remainder – if the application is successful – to come via the state’s All Abilities Infrastructure funding stream.

This pavilion upgrade has the potential to reinvigorate the space at Wallington Reserve in a major way.

Works would include extending the pavilion to provide two compliant baseball/cricket change rooms, a shared kitchen/canteen, bar, social space and internal toilets, as well as storage.

It would also allow for external sensory lights to illuminate the car park, while a new sealed path to connect to the Pigeon Club would have new accessible external toilet facilities included in the redevelopment of the pavilion.

As outlined in the masterplan, funding would contribute to removal of the required number of Cypress pines to enable a new compliant senior baseball field to be constructed, with works including re-alignment of the baseball field, new back net, dug-outs, scorers box, and gates all covered.

A new electronic scoreboard would be added and tree planting throughout the reserve would be strengthened, but beyond that, this new space would be a welcoming and inclusive hub for the entire community of Wallington and indeed surrounding suburbs.

Wallington is a lovely part of the world and with the population of neighbouring Ocean Grove and Leopold expanding, it caters to a vast number of the Bellarine community.

Ultimately, sporting clubs should be for all, and a modern, all-abilities pavilion at Wallington Reserve that caters to the needs of everyone in the community is paramount.

A further $50,000 will be sought from the state via its all-abilities participation funding stream, which would go towards helping user clubs of Wallington Reserve – the Wallington Cricket Club and the Bellarine Bears Baseball Club – with their respective all-abilities programs.

This is something I am confident the Bellarine ward, and indeed all of the Greater Geelong municipality, will get behind, and I am optimistic the Victorian government will see the merit in our application for funding of these projects.

It remains imperative for Council to provide opportunities for competitive sport and other forms of recreation and fitness as it helps to create a better connected and healthier community.

I am mindful of the fact there are many sporting and community organisations seeking funding support and it is Council’s endeavour to continue working closely with them to ensure their needs are met.

I expect Council will be in a position to support some of these groups via our upcoming budget, but as always, we will be looking for further suitable grant opportunities to assist the community as necessary.

Cr Trent Sullivan

Mayor, City of Greater Geelong