Community sporting clubs from Sunbury and the Macedon Ranges are being encouraged to apply for a grant that will help them improve membership numbers among children.
The reopening of applications for the Active Kids Grant follows the release of a study from the Australian Sports Foundation, which found a dramatic decrease in junior participation rates at sporting clubs.
According to the data, which surveyed 70,000 community clubs, 60 per cent of respondents reported a decline in player participation from last year.
The decline was strongest in the 11 to 18-year-old bracket.
Developed in tandem between the Australian Sports Foundation and the Dickinson Foundation, the grants will assist clubs in purchasing equipment, kit and uniforms as a means of removing barriers for children’s participation.
Dickinson Foundation founder David Dickinson said the past two years had wreaked havoc on local sport across the country.
“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,” Mr Dickinson said.
Grant applications close on Monday, January 24.
Details: bit.ly/3tAIpUF
