The doors have opened on the latest round of small grants under the Department of Sport and Recreation’s (DSR) Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF), and if you want to see what the grants can do then look no further than the last round’s successful recipients.
03 February 2010
Grants were awarded towards three Goldfields projects in the inaugural 2009/10 round, including $49,577 to the Eastern Goldfields Hockey Association Inc for the development of a new grass playing field at Goldfields Hockey Stadium.
Preliminary site works recently started and earthworks are expected to commence in late January. It is hoped the new playing field – which will complement the existing artificially surfaced playing field – will be ready before, or early into, the start of the hockey season in April.
“The notion of having a second playing field at the Goldfields Hockey Stadium has been around for a long time,” said Eastern Goldfields Hockey Association Executive Committee Member Tony Chisholm.
“We originally wanted another artificially surfaced playing field but it was too expensive and the cost would mean the development would be at least several years away.
“At the same time we saw a huge need and demand for the second field for scheduling purposes and to reduce wear and tear on the existing field, and this small grant has allowed us to do that with a view to upgrading the surface in the future.”
Tony said having the grass field would incidentally provide a skills development opportunity for the association’s juniors.
“When our juniors play in Perth it’s mainly on grass and they tend to struggle a bit, so this will give them a chance to develop their skills on grass,” he said.
Tony said the new CSRFF small grants, which are run twice a year and are for projects under $150,000, had been a big help to the association.
“Certainly the funding through the CSRFF small grants, which was matched by the local council, goes a long way towards making projects happen in a shorter timeframe, and there are bound to be numerous sport and recreation-related projects in the community that without much effort could also benefit,” he said.
“Timeline-wise you get two cracks at the funding a year, without needing to forecast two years ahead, you can start thinking in timeframes of six to nine months, and it’s also a simpler application process.”
DSR Manager Goldfields Mike Brewer said great sport and recreation facilities made for great communities.
“Having up to scratch facilities is so important for keeping sport and recreation in the Goldfields vibrant, and in encouraging participation,” he said.
“Sport and recreation is the heartbeat of regional communities like ours – it plays a huge role in our health and social lives, and also makes our communities stronger.
“The next round of CSRFF small grants opens on Monday 1 February and closes on Friday 26 February 2010, and I encourage all Goldfields clubs, organisations and associations seeking funding for eligible projects to follow the lead of the Eastern Goldfields Hockey Association and apply. Who knows, it could be your facility we see work happening on next as a result.”
Tony agrees with Mike, “You can do a lot with $150,000 or less,” he said.
Other Goldfields recipients under the inaugural round of grants were the Shire of Dundas, which received $10,000 for a recreation needs analysis for Norseman, and the Shire of Ravensthorpe which received $49,798 to upgrade existing floodlighting at its football and hockey ovals.
A total of $750,000 is available for allocation in each round of the CSRFF small grants, and priority is given to projects that have a direct, positive impact on participation in physical activity, such as playing surfaces, lighting and change rooms.
For more information, contact the DSR Goldfields office on 9022 5800 or goldfields@dsr.wa.gov.au.
