Sport and recreation clubs right across South Australia will make significant upgrades to their facilities thanks to the biggest ever investment in grassroots sport in SA’s history.
More than $24 million in grants will be handed out by the Marshall Government for 115 projects from Woodville in metropolitan Adelaide, to Port Pirie in the Spencer Gulf and Mt Gambier in the south east.
The projects, which are expected to support hundreds of jobs, are being funded out of three grant programs:
- Community Recreation and Sport Facilities Program (CRSFP) ($4 million)
- Grassroots Facilities Program (GFP) ($15 million)
- Regional and Districts Facilities Program (RDFP) ($5 million)
Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Corey Wingard said building what matters for sporting communities is part of the Marshall Government’s plan to encourage South Australians to get more active, more often.
“These grants will assist sport and recreation organisations across the state to develop core infrastructure and community hubs that will directly impact participation through the rational development of well-designed and utilised facilities,” Minister Wingard said.
“We expanded our GFP to include all sports; not just footy, cricket and netball and also offered more opportunity for regional level facility projects to get off the ground through the RDFP.
“These funded projects will deliver more than $57 million in project value, enabling at least 52,000 South Australians to be active across 39 different sports, as well as many recreational activities.
“It’s also a win for our building industry with approximately 234 jobs to be created through construction.”
Projects include family-friendly changerooms at sporting clubs to facilitate a more inclusive environment, the redevelopment of playing surfaces, the installation of lighting towers and much more.
The grant programs also align with the objectives of the Marshall Government’s Game On: Getting South Australia moving initiative which aims to get South Australians moving and enjoying the many social, health and lifestyle benefits sport and recreation provide.
Applications for the next round of the Infrastructure Projects (2021-22) funding programs will open soon where an additional $20.6 million in grants will be available to eligible sporting clubs and organisations.
