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Footy grassroots greener thanks to Sports Field Maintenance Program

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Chancellor Park Soccer Club and Kawana Park Junior AFL Club are a cut above after scoring multi-year grants for their playing grounds through Sunshine Coast Council’s Sports Field Maintenance Program.

The program offers up to three years of funding for not-for-profit community organisations who are responsible for maintaining community sports fields on the Sunshine Coast. Council will invest more than $760,000 in the program across 48 local sporting clubs during the 2021/22 financial year.

Kawana Park Junior AFL President Adam McKenzie said the club’s two-year grant would provide $19,600 per year to fund a range of important maintenance tasks on the club’s new home fields at Meridan Plains Sports Complex.

“Our club has undergone significant growth since it was founded in 2001 and currently caters for 280 boys and girls across 14 teams from Under 8s to Under 18s, as well as a junior Auskick program for around 90 kids and an additional adult social competition in the off-season,” he said.

“That equates to a lot of traffic on our playing fields at Meridan Plains Sports Complex.

“So, it’s a huge boost for the Eagles to be part of council’s Sports Field Maintenance Program and receive this funding over the next two years. It will enable us to undertake important maintenance duties like mowing, fertilising, weeding and aerating the grounds.

“This will ensure that we can provide our players with safer and higher quality grounds to train and play AFL.”

Chancellor Park Soccer Club will receive almost $10,000 in 2021/22 and $19,600 in 2022/23 through Council’s Sports Field Maintenance Program.

President Anthony Johnston said the grant would help the club hit the ground running at its home grounds at the Palmview Sports Complex.

“The Chancellor Park Soccer Club is very excited about its new home at the Palmview Sports Complex and having additional financial support to put towards the maintenance of our new playing grounds is a tremendous boost for our 300 junior and 80 senior players,” he said.

“Having a high-quality playing surface is important for all sports and especially for soccer, to enable youngsters to develop and express their skills and most importantly enjoy themselves.”

Economic Development, Innovation, Tourism, Events and Sports portfolio councillor Jason O’Pray said the Sports Field Maintenance Funding Program, which was endorsed by council at its July 22 Ordinary Meeting, aimed to provide consistent, equitable and appropriate support for sports fields maintenance across our local government area.

“We are partnering with sporting organisations to help them maintain their facilities to a competition level. The Kawana Park Junior AFL Club and the Chancellor Park Soccer Club are among 48 local sporting clubs who are benefiting greatly from what this program delivers,” Cr O’Pray said.

“One of the really pivotal and unique aspects of this program is our council community sports field officer who supports successful grant applicants by providing information about how to achieve competition levels with their playing fields, as well as developing an agreed maintenance schedule and providing information to clubs about contractors available to provide sports field maintenance services.”

Community portfolio councillor Rick Baberowski said it was wonderful to be able to provide support for sporting clubs in two of the Sunshine Coast’s major growth areas.

“Sporting clubs are the fabric of our healthy, smart, creative region and they help to build cohesive communities and promote active lifestyles,’’ Cr Baberowski said.

“Seeing Kawana Park Junior AFL Club and the Chancellor Park Soccer Club achieving their respective grants through council’s Sports Field Maintenance Program is excellent for the youngsters who play for these clubs and who will benefit greatly from having higher quality fields to train and play on.

“It’s also a huge boost for the mums and dads and volunteers who donate their time to run these clubs.

“The Harmony development at Palmview will be home to around 12,000 future residents and with soccer being one of Australia’s highest participation sports at junior age levels, it’s terrific that the Chancellor Park Club will have high quality fields to cater for its current and future members.”

 
 

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Sunshine Coast Council acknowledges the Sunshine Coast Country, home of the Kabi Kabi peoples and the Jinibara peoples, the Traditional Custodians, whose lands and waters we all now share. We wish to pay respect to their Elders – past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the important role First Nations people continue to play within the Sunshine Coast community.

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