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Grants and awards sport | May 12, 2020

Kealy congratulates Active Club Grant recipients

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy MP has congratulated four regional sporting clubs who have been successful in receiving funding under the latest round of the VicHealth Active Club Grants 2019-20 Program.

Ms Kealy said one of the key focuses of this round of funding was to provide more opportunities for women and girls to become active through sport.

“Research shows that female participation in sport is still lower than male involvement and that women and girls can find it hard to reach the recommended 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity each week due to other commitments including family and work,” she said.

“It also shows that playing sports builds self-confidence, with girls involved in athletics feeling better about themselves, both physically and socially.

“Other proven benefits include maintaining a healthy weight and making new friends.”

The four clubs will use their grants to boost participation rates by introducing the following new competitions and programs:

• Cavendish Football Netball Club will receive $2,900 to introduce mixed boys and girls’ teams to play Australian Rules Football with a modified training and skills development plan
• Horsham Golf Club will introduce an entry level coaching program for teenage girls, combined with a three-hole golf competition held weekly over a four week block four times a year ($2,000)
• Coughlin Park Bowls Club will receive $900 to introduce Bowls Victoria’s Jack Attack program to increase the participation of mothers, school children, people living with a disabilities and older adults through a modified and fast-paced version of bowls
• Wimmera District Golf Inc will introduce Golf Australia’s MyGolf program, an initiative designed for boys and girls aged 9-14 to learn how to play golf ($2,678).

 VicHealth has extended the funding period for clubs to use the grant until the end of 2021, giving clubs more time to recover from the economic and social impact of coronavirus.

“It is important we continue to open up avenues for more people to get involved in sport and I congratulate and offer my full support to all these clubs for their initiatives to achieve this,” Ms Kealy said.