Play Our Way grant available until end of April in 2024

Avatar
Image credit: IOIO IMAGES / Shutterstock.com

Following the respective successes of both the CommBank Matilda’s performance and Australia’s hosting abilities of the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed $200 million into the “Play Our Way” Grant Program.

As the current biggest investment into Women’s sport across the nation, applications for the grant still remain open with the closing date on April 29, 2024.

Working in conjunction with non-for-profit businesses, local government officials, and sport organizations nationwide, the overall aspiration of the program is to make sport for woman and girls ‘more welcoming and equitable.’ 

The $200 million grant is available in funding over a three year period in which will be split into two streams:

Participation and equipment:
Funding will be placed into programs that inspire females of all ages to become involved within sporting and physical activity obligations. The employment of recruitment and commitment officers, coaches, officials and volunteers is crucial for the growth and sustainability of women’s sport. Further funding will be implemented into equipment to assist with the encouragement of women’s participation. There is nothing more off putting than using out dated, uninspired equipment hence the importance in which surrounds its necessary upgrade.

Facilities:
Much in the same vein as the previous entry, the establishment and improvement of facilities is another primary focus of the program. To encourage and inspire woman to be involved within sport, it is crucial that they are recipients of facilities in that are of a high-standard. The lack of adequacy within facilities can be a deterrent across all sporting codes for all of its participants, regardless of age, ability or gender.

Clubs with all the relevant information are urged to apply for the grant in which can be completed upon the Football Australia website, as well as each state football website. The grant is assessed and determined by the Department of Health and Aged Care, in whom are transparent and impartial. Guidelines within the application process showcased a clubs eligibility, grant amount and time period, application process, and what the grant can be used upon.

The game within Australia is on a trajectory, especially within the women’s cohort. The government backed program presents a monumental opportunity for current and emerging women’s football contingents across the state.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend