Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program to aid NSW sport and clubs

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Image credit: NSW Government

The Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program aims to supply Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and related equipment to sports and recreation facilities and clubs across New South Wales.

An AED is a device used alongside Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) that delivers a controlled shock to someone in cardiac arrest, enhancing their chances of survival.

About the program

The NSW Government is allocating up to $500,000 in funding for the 2024/25 Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program, offering grants of up to $3,000 to eligible sports clubs and facility owners.

In 2024/25, funding will be available to applicants from the bottom five Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), as ranked by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, or those demonstrating financial hardship. This approach aims to prioritize funding for those who need it most.

Important dates

  • Program opened: 9:00am Tuesday 17 September 2024.
  • Program closing: Upon funding allocation being exhausted or by 1:00 pm on 27 November 2024 whichever is earlier.

Key objectives

The main goals of the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program for 2024/25 are:

  • To assist local sports and recreational clubs or related incorporated organisations in the most disadvantaged areas of NSW in acquiring an AED package.
  • To enhance access to these devices throughout NSW.

Funding availability

The grant amount will cover the cost of an approved AED package, up to $3,000. Applicants can apply for one AED package and are allowed only one application per financial year.

Please note that applicants who have previously received funding from the Local Sport Defibrillator Program can apply again, but they will only be funded if the program’s budget has not been fully allocated by the closing date.

Eligible applicants

Applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria, which can be demonstrated in one of two ways.

Option 1: Applicants can show that their primary clubhouse or facilities, or the majority of their sporting or recreational activities, are situated in an eligible postcode, defined as being within the lowest five deciles of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Socio-Economic Indexes for Australia (SEIFA). This can be demonstrated by:

  • The registered address of the applicant organisation must be within an eligible postcode.
  • Applicants must provide clear evidence that their sporting or recreational activities primarily occur at facilities located in an eligible postcode.
  • Applicants should demonstrate that the majority of their participants live in eligible postcodes.

Option 2: Applicants can present evidence of experiencing financial hardship, which can be demonstrated by:

  • providing clear evidence that they cannot meet essential club expenses or other financial obligations as they become due.

Details regarding the types of evidence required will be included in the application form and can also be found in the frequently asked questions section.

More information can be found here.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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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.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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