The kids at Lancefield Cricket Club are having a ball after finding out they are getting more gear, thanks to the Australian Sports Foundation’s (ASF) Active Kids Grants program.
Distributing more than half a million dollars worth of free sporting equipment and uniforms to 144 clubs across the country, the grants are aimed at helping them bounce back after two difficult pandemic years.
The 31 kids at Lancefield Cricket Club will be some of the 27,000 children in Australia to benefit from the program, and club secretary Pauline Goodes said the gear will make it easier for more children to get involved in the sport.
“It means that kids can come in and have a go, and parents don’t have to worry about forking out all this money for new gear,” Ms Goodes said.
“If they think that their child might change their might, that they might do one season and then not come back – often they don’t, and they do stay for a few seasons and then parents will buy some gear.
“When you buy a whole kit, it does add up and is pretty expensive.”
The grants, funded by the Dickinson Foundation, were awarded to clubs of all sizes and for a range of sports, including water polo, archery, rowing, mountain biking, rugby, tennis and cricket.
ASF chief executive Patrick Walker said they are “thrilled” to be announcing the recipients, but that there were “far more” applications than grants awarded.
“Unfortunately, the events of the past two years have had a devastating impact on community sporting clubs around Australia and have left young Australians in particular, without a vital outlet of physical activity and social connection,” Mr Walker said.
“Every child deserves to have an active childhood but to make that a reality, we need to give clubs the means to start rebuilding their resources and programs,” Dickinson Foundation director David Dickinson said.
The Lancefield Cricket Club grant is a win for young girls playing sport too, with more under-11 girls playing there than ever before.
“Our focus is that all kids are welcome and that everybody gets a chance,” Ms Goodes said.
