- Government grants awarded to boost WA's 2024
calendar of sporting events and participation
- 20 projects and events receive support,
involving a wide range of sports and recreational activities
- Applications for another round of funding opens
at the end of January 2024
The Cook Government is providing
$635,715 in financial support to assist sport and recreation organisations to
plan, secure and deliver mass participation events in Western Australia in 2024.
In the first round of the
Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program (which closed on Monday, 16 October
2023), applications relating to 20 events were supported.
The successful projects
and events involve a wide range of sports and recreation activities - including
football, basketball, netball, golf, softball, hockey, squash, running,
swimming, hiking, cycling, kiteboarding, yachting, judo, and dragon boat
racing.
The objectives of the
Program are to:
- build capacity and capability of the sport and
recreation workforce and volunteers to plan, secure and/or deliver quality
sport and active recreation events;
- provide opportunities for talented WA athletes,
coaches and officials to participate at a national and/or international level
in their home environment;
- provide opportunities for the public to
participate in sport and/or active recreation events; and
- provide opportunities for regional Western
Australians to experience and conduct major sporting events and sport
development initiatives in a regional location.
The program comprises three
categories:
- event projects (up to $15,000);
- event hosting (up to $50,000); and
- the Country Sport Enrichment Scheme (up to
$30,000).
Applications for the next
round of the Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program, will open on Monday, 29
January and close on Monday, 26 February 2024. More information is available on
the Department
of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) website.
Comments attributed to Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman:
"This financial
support from the Government will assist national and WA sporting organisations,
as well as local governments, to stage events in WA that will give local
athletes the chance to compete at a national and even international level.
"The emphasis of the grants
is also to encourage community participation in these events, to inspire our
sporting hopefuls to excel in their chosen field of endeavour, and get the
public involved as well.
"Many regional WA events
are supported in this round of funding, aimed at overcoming the extra
challenges of distance faced by our regional athletes and competitors.
"With another round of
funding opening at the end of January 2024, I would urge those involved in
organising sporting and recreational events to be held in WA, to apply for
financial support."
Successful
applicants for round one of the Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program
2023-24:
Albany Basketball Association
– NBL1 West, Albany round – $30,000
Hosting of a regional fixture of the 'NBL1
West' competition during the 2024 season. The weekend will highlight the basketball
talent in Western Australia, and showcase the pathway for young athletes within
the Association. The weekend will also host skills building for coaches and referees,
along with providing game opportunities for our youth and all abilities
players.
Busselton Allsports Inc –
Busselton Jetty Swim 2024 – $20,000
The 'Busselton Jetty Swim' is a premier event
on the WA sporting calendar - which features a 3.6km ocean swim around the
iconic Busselton Jetty, plus team swims, the One Mile Swim, the 500m Swim, and the
Kids Swim. People of all abilities and experience are encouraged to participate,
with the event priding itself on being affordable, inclusive, welcoming, and community
focused.
Dragon Boating WA Inc – AusChamps
2024 – $36,000
The Australian National Dragon Boat Championships, known as 'AusChamps',
is the annual high-performance competition for State and club teams. It is the
premier dragon boat paddling event in Australia, and provides a pathway to
international competition - both at national team level and at club level.
Football West Ltd – 2024 Goldfields Regional
Festival of Football – $24,200
The '2024 Goldfields Regional Festival of Football' is a seven-day
community engagement event that aims to enhance the capacity and capability of
football (soccer) in the wider Goldfields area. There will be numerous
activities aimed at all ages, with a significant focus on community engagement
and development opportunities, to inspire more people to participate in "The World
Game'. Football West's goal for this program is to promote a sustainable
football legacy for the Goldfield's region, boosting participation.
Golf Australia Ltd – Australian Junior
Amateur & Australian Junior Interstate Teams Matches – $28,890
National individual and team championship for junior golfers (under 18
years).
HikeWest Inc – Collie HikeFest – $14,993
Conducting of a feasibility study, and research and development of a
business case by HikeWest, to assess the viability of holding an inaugural
HikeFest or hiking festival in Collie. The aim of the event would be to
increase hiking participation through guided walks, and put Collie "on the map"
as a Trail Town with high-quality hiking opportunities.
Judo Western Australia Inc – 2024 Mandurah
International Open – $27,500
The '2024 Mandurah International Open' is a pinnacle judo event staged
from 3-6 May 2024. This multifaceted occasion combines the adrenaline of
intense judo competition with an immersive training camp, led by a
distinguished international judo competitor.
Kiteboarding Australia Ltd – Kiteboarding
Australia National Series – $50,000
The 'Kiteboarding Australia National Series' takes place over a 3-week
period consisting of two marquee events: the Wing Championships and the Wave
Nationals. The project aims to upskill volunteers and build capacity of the
sport and its organisation.
Kiteboarding Western Australia Inc – Augusta
Big Air Nationals 2024 – $27,400
The inaugural 'Big Air Augusta National' event is where the best
kiteboarders from around Australia will compete for the national title. It is
the first 'Big Air National' event of Australia, as the discipline grows
massively worldwide, and will continue as an annual competition to announce the
Australian champion in different categories: Under 18; Women; Open; and Masters
(over 40). The high-level event will deliver sport development opportunities in
regional WA.
Netball WA Inc – West Coast Fever Pre-season
Exhibition Matches – $27,272
This project would see West Coast Fever and another high-profile team
travel to Port Hedland to play two matches, which will play a key part of
preparations for the '2024 Suncorp Super Netball Season'. In addition to the
two exhibition matches, West Coast Fever will engage with the local Port
Hedland community by running netball clinics, and conducting a dress blessing
ceremony.
Pilbara Trailblazers Inc – Red Dirt Backyard
Ultra – $10,035
The 'Red Dirt Backyard Ultra' is a running event held in Karratha.
Participants complete a 6.71km loop course on the hour, every hour for an
unlimited amount of time, until there is only one participant left, known as
the "Last One Standing". In 2024 it will an official backyard event, affiliated
with the international backyard ultra race series.
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht
Club – 2024 Bill Steele Pre-World Regatta and Etchells World Championships – $45,000
The '2024 Bill Steele Pre-World Regatta' and
'2024 Etchells World Championship Regatta' is expected to attract an estimated
45-50 boat fleet from Canada, Britain, USA, Hong Kong, and Australia.
Shire of Collie – Collie River
Mountain Bike Marathon – $30,000
'Collie River Mountain Bike Marathon' is a
mass participation off-road cycling event with various distances for different
levels of fitness - from beginner/intermediate to expert. The
start/finish/event village is based in the heart of the Collie CBD, to
encourage local visitation/spending. The course utilises many of the new
dedicated 'Wambenger' mountain bike trails which the State Government has
invested in around the Collie townsite. The race attracts a competitive elite
field, and helps with junior/development pathways to national/international
racing.
Softball Western Australia Inc
– 2024 Under 18 Girls and Boys Australian Softball Championships – $40,000
Hosting of the 'Australian National Softball Championships'. All Australian States and Territories are
invited to attend.
Squash WA – 2024 Australian National
Championships – $50,000
Squash WA has been awarded the rights to host
the '2024 Australian National Championships', catering for men's and women's
divisions from Open through to D Grade. The event will deliver significant
benefits to the sport in Western Australia.
Swimming Mermaids – Margaret River Ocean
Swim – $38,875
The 'Margaret River Ocean Swim' is a mass participation event that will
encourage and promote people of all abilities to swim in the ocean at Gnarabup.
This event has been conducted since 2003, and has grown significantly over past
few years. As a result, volunteers and resources to conduct the event require
upskilling.
Swimming WA Inc – Swanbourne
Community Team Relay – $11,000
A new mass participation 'Open Water'
team-based swimming relay event, featuring the opportunity to swim as duo's
(2km) or teams of four (4km), as well as a shorter team event (1km). The
emphasis of the large community event will be on fun competition, bringing
together a mix of friends, family, clubs, and workplace colleagues to compete
as teams, introducing more people to open water competition.
The Western Australian Hockey
Association Inc – Goldfields Festival of Hockey, Hockey WA Premier League –
$30,000
Hockey WA Premier League (Men's and Women's)
matches, the State's premier hockey competition played in Kalgoorlie, and
featuring a series of community activities and programs.
Triathlon Western Australia
Inc – Busselton Festival of Triathlon – $50,000
The 'Busselton Festival of Triathlon' is an
annual sporting event hosted on the Busselton Foreshore. In 2024, the family
friendly event will consist of the Busselton 100 (2km/80km/18km), Foreshore
Triathlon (2 distances), and Kids triathlon (2 distances). Teams and
para-athletes are also able to compete. A Health and Wellbeing Expo is a major
component of the event. There will be an enhanced finish zone, and twilight
event designed to encourage the community to interact with the event over the
weekend.
Western Australian Basketball Federation Inc
– 2024 Wheelchair Leagues Cup – $44,550
Delivery of a tournament involving men's and women's Wheelchair
Basketball teams from around Australia, to meet in Western Australia to play a
round robin and finals. This competition is intended to further promote the
sport of Wheelchair Basketball in WA, whilst also providing our WA athletes with
the opportunity to compete at the highest national level.
