The federal government will invest $491,000 in upgrading and improving the sporting facilities at Edge Hill United Football Club and Cairns Indoor Sports to help increase sporting participation and get the local community more active.
Edge Hill United Football Club will receive $337,000 and Cairns Indoor Sports will receive $154,000.
The investment is part of the Move It Australia Community Sport Infrastructure Grant program that will provide funding to make improvements to local sporting facilities.
Federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said he recently visited both organisations to see first-hand the upgrades required.
He said Edge Hill United Football Club would use the funds to upgrade the clubhouse, including new female and referee facilities, and Cairns Indoor Sports would use the funds to install air conditioning.
“This is about listening, acting and delivering for our community,” Mr Entsch said.
“The federal government understands our success and prowess as a sporting nation begins with grassroots sport which is why we have focused our investment on local grassroots sporting facilities.
“Participation in sport also teaches our children valuable life lessons – like how to lose and come back the next week and do better. It also teaches important values like respect for the opposition, playing with sportsmanship and respecting the referee’s decision.
“Our government has prioritised investment in local grassroots sports because we recognise the wider health, social and community benefits that come from greater activity and participating in sport.
“It is a key priority of our government to promote the social and health benefits of physical activity and sport and our investment to upgrade facilities and infrastructure will provide a real encouragement for those local residents not currently active.
Mr Entsch said the federal government would allocate an additional $30 million for projects in early 2019 from the existing pool of applications.
“This demand has demonstrated that sporting and community organisations are crying out for help to upgrade their facilities and because of the federal government’s responsible economic management and deliver a budget surplus, we are in the position to increase the investment,” he said.
