Grassroots sport given new lease of life in Frankston

The Frankston City Council have been provided $2.9 million in funding, part of projects that the Victorian Government has been involved with.

The Frankston City Council have been provided $2.9 million in funding, in a move that forms part of the ongoing community sport and recreation infrastructure projects that the Victorian Government has been involved with since 2014 – exceeding the amount of $1 billion.

Ballam Park, home to the Peninsula Strikers Junior Football (Soccer) Club, were granted $300,000 as an investment towards a new pavilion and an installation of new lighting for two pitches to allow further utilisation of the pitches for training and games.

The club consists of around 300 registered players and a rebuilt facility will ensure that it is inclusive for female participants. This is a boost and reassurance of female participation throughout all age groups.

Players and coaches will be delighted to find that the new pavilion created by the grants will include eight new female-friendly changerooms, kitchen, kiosk, social space, referee changerooms, storage, first-aid accessibility and public toilets. On top of this, there will be new parking facilities with street lighting upgrades for patron safety.

In addition to the Victorian Government’s financial contribution to Frankston City Council’s grassroot clubs, RF Miles Recreation Reserve, home to the Seaford Tigers Football (Aussie Rules), Netball and Cricket Clubs, will receive a new pavilion too.

Following consistent growth of participation numbers for the clubs of the three different codes, they will be treated to a brand new two-storey pavilion to cater for them. This will also include female-friendly changerooms and amenities, social and meeting rooms, first-aid room and umpire changerooms.

The oval at RF Miles Recreation Reserve will consist of a reconfigured larger oval with lighting that will meet to AFL standards. Along with this a new scoreboard, a coach’s box, cricket nets and brand-new netball courts.

All was made possible through the government’s Local Sports Grants initiative. The timing of the announcement and delivery conveniently falls in line with the lifestyle recovery post-covid. As such projects will inherently create much needed stimulating and restoration of the local economies, creating new jobs and bringing communities closer together.

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Female Football Week kicks off across Northern NSW

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Female Football Week has officially begun across Northern NSW, with a program of gala days, networking events and awards ceremonies running until Sunday May 17, marking a ten-day celebration that organisers say reflects both the growth of women’s football in the region and the work still required to sustain it.

The national initiative, now a fixture on the football calendar, provides a dedicated period of visibility for female participants across all levels of the game from players, coaches, referees to volunteers, whose contributions have historically received less recognition than their male counterparts.

NNSWF Participation and Women’s Football Officer Serena Carter said the week offered something for everyone connected to women’s football in the region.

“Female Football Week provides a fantastic chance to highlight the dedication and skill of female players, coaches, referees and volunteers across the northern NSW community,” Carter said. “There’s something for everyone to enjoy, from grassroots participants to elite competitors.”

Women’s football in northern NSW spans remote and regional communities where clubs operate on limited resources, alongside more established metropolitan programs with clearer development pathways. Female Football Week creates a moment of shared recognition across that spectrum and acknowledges the role volunteers play, from running the canteen to progressing through the pathway.

Northern NSW Football has recorded some of its strongest participation numbers in women’s and girls’ football in recent seasons, a trend that has placed increasing pressure on clubs and facilities to keep pace. The week’s events offer clubs an opportunity to showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion at a time when that commitment is being tested by growth.

Football NNSW Releases Infrastructure Strategies as Participation Growth Outpaces Facilities

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Northern NSW Football has unveiled bespoke infrastructure strategies for each of its seven member zones, providing an evidence-based roadmap for facility investment across the region as continued participation growth exposes critical gaps in the sporting infrastructure available to support it.

The Member Zone Infrastructure Strategies draw on data across participation rates, population growth and existing facility conditions to map what each zone has, what it needs and where investment will have the greatest impact. Identified gaps include drainage, lighting and inclusive changerooms – the foundational infrastructure that determines whether facilities are functional, safe and accessible year-round.

NNSWF Government Relations Manager Gary Fisher said the strategies represented a significant step toward smarter, more targeted investment across the region.

“By bringing together key data on participation, population growth and existing infrastructure, these strategies give us a stronger understanding of where the needs are greatest and where investment will have the most impact,” Fisher said. “Ultimately we want to create more inclusive and accessible environments for everyone involved in the game while building stronger, more sustainable clubs and communities for the future.”

Northern NSW Football has previously noted that participation across the region is at record levels and still rising, with women’s and girls’ football a significant driver of that growth. Infrastructure that was built for a smaller and less diverse participation base is increasingly unable to meet current demand, let alone accommodate future growth.

The strategies are also designed to strengthen NNSWF’s alignment with government funding priorities, providing the evidence base needed to support grant applications and long-term facility planning across all seven zones.

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