Funding Boots Fuels Female Facilities

Football NSW has welcomed the NSW Government’s $30 million commitment to female sport facilities.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and the NSW Labor Government has taken a significant step forward in promoting sports and empowering the community with the release of the NSW Budget 2023-24.

A key sport initiative of the Budget is the “Level the Playing Fund”.

This Fund is specifically designed to support the development of new and upgraded facilities, with a particular focus on empowering women to participate in sports. The commitment to addressing gender disparity in sports infrastructure is a critical step towards fostering equality and inclusivity in sports.

The Level the Playing Field program will allow grassroots sporting groups to access $30 million to upgrade and build sporting facilities for women and girls in their local communities.

The program is expected to fund 100 new and upgraded facilities and will contribute to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for women and girls to train and play, by delivering fit-for-purpose facilities and amenities such as change rooms, accessibility improvements, and improved lighting.

Football NSW welcomes this announcement with open arms, especially in the wake of the successful FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand. The Level the Playing Field Fund is seen as a pivotal initiative in further advancing the women’s football scene in New South Wales and providing state-of-the-art facilities that will inspire future generations of female football players.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup was a game-changer for women’s football in Australia and New South Wales,” said Football NSW CEO John Tsatsimas.

“We are thrilled to see the commitment of the Labor Government to further develop facilities that will empower women and girls to participate in our beloved sport. This investment aligns perfectly with our long-term vision for women’s football in NSW.

“Female friendly facilities are key component of attracting and retaining females in the game. We know that only 1 in 5 football amenity buildings across NSW are female friendly”.

The budget also sees a new means tested $50 Active and Creative Kids combined voucher issued twice per year beginning on 1 February 2024 to enable kids to participate in sports and creative programs.

Click here to view the media release from the NSW Minister for Sport.