Two hundred South Australian sporting organisations have already put their hand up and hundreds more have started the application process for their share of $2.495 million in program and equipment funding through the Marshall Government’s Active Club Program (ACP).
Clubs are set to receive up to $3,000 which can be used to obtain products that are required to adapt to the changes brought on by COVID-19 such as digital equipment to hold remote meetings, hand sanitiser and cleaning products.
The grants can also be used to purchase equipment, uniforms and training aids.
The Club Reboot Round (Round 49 of the ACP) aims to assist an increased number of clubs compared to previous years to help sport bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Corey Wingard said the latest round of the ACP will help ensure the survival of many sporting clubs during what has been a trying year for the entire sport and recreation industry.
“It’s been just under two weeks since the Club Reboot Round opened and we’ve already had a fantastic response from sporting groups, with 200 clubs submitting their applications and another 256 starting the process,” Minister Wingard said.
“We know there are many organisations out there who could use a boost during these unprecedented times and the aim is to fund up to 1,200 clubs through this round of the ACP which is nearly double that of our previous most popular round.
“We have streamlined the application process to make it even easier for eligible clubs to apply, filling out the online form usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes.”
The Glenunga Croquet Club was a funding recipient from a previous round of the ACP and club President Rose Ainslie said the funds had been used to keep their club COVID-Safe.
“We purchased a number of hygiene products including disinfectant wipes, lots of hand sanitiser, buckets for washing the balls, detergent, gloves and paper towels,” Dr Ainslie said.
“This has been really well received by our members as we are a vulnerable group and now we can make sure everyone is protected.
“It was absolutely invaluable to our club to receive this funding as we lost a lot of income earlier this year when we were not able to hold functions, open the bar and people had to play their games and go home straight away, it has made a real difference to the life of the club.”
Since 1996 the ACP has provided more than $47 million in funding through more than 10,000 grants to local community organisations.
Applications for the Club Reboot Round close midday, Wednesday 23 September.
More information can be found at www.orsr.sa.gov.au/funding/apply_for_funding/active_club_program
