Published on Tuesday, 22 February 2022 at 3:33:34 PM

The City of Vincent is encouraging clubs to apply for grants to help boost female participation in local sports.

The City’s Female Sports Participation Grants aim to help clubs to establish activities, programs or projects that promote and encourage equal participation of women in sports.

Clubs can apply for grants of up to $2000 for activities, programs, competitions or new teams aimed at increasing participation rates, equipment, coaching accreditation, umpire training and developing gender equity strategies.

Applications may be submitted all year-round.

Mayor Emma Cole said the City had been supporting local female athletes since 2019 and was committed to continue to help grow participation rates.

“Being involved in community sport offers many health and wellbeing benefits including increasing self-esteem, networking opportunities and social inclusion,” she said.

“Despite these benefits, there are still low rates of participation in sport by women and girls in Vincent.

“While there are several clubs in Vincent who are leading the way with growing their female teams and encouraging trailblazers, we would love to see more clubs recruiting more female players on board.

“The Female Sports Participation Grants are a great way for clubs to get more support for their female teams, programs and trial events and I urge them to apply.”

North Perth Cricket Club, which is based at Charles Veryard Reserve, recently received a grant to form a new team as part of the Perth Scorchers Women’s Cricket League.

The club’s women’s coordinator Iain Oliphant said the grants showed that the council genuinely valued the importance of sport and encouraged other sporting clubs to apply.

“It was great getting the support of the local council to help promote women’s sport in the area,” he said.

“This is the first time the club has entered this league, as it has only recently been established.

“We have been building up our resources to support a women’s team over the last few years.

“Without the funding from the City of Vincent, we simply would not have the appropriate equipment to promote the sport to new players and sustain a team that wants to come back every week and develop.”

Oliphant said cricket as an organised sport had quite high costs, including a new cricket ball for every game, protective pads, helmets and cricket bats, which could be prohibitive for beginners.

“Having the funds to provide all playing equipment at no cost to participants is hugely beneficial and has opened the door to a diverse group of people,” he said.

“The addition of a women’s team to the North Perth Cricket Club has been warmly received by the existing playing group, with the women’s team a regular feature at the club selection nights and social events.

“The playing squad has continued to grow over the course of the year by word of mouth and we hope to be able to support two teams in the not too distant future.”

Applicants should allow at least six weeks between application closing date and anticipated project commencement date.

The approval process may take up to four weeks in busy periods.

Late submissions may be accepted at the City’s discretion.

For information about the grants, visit the City's website.

Call the Community Partnerships Team on 9273 6000 or email community.partnerships@vincent.wa.gov.au.

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