Baringa Football Club has kicked a goal by scoring a funding grant from Sunshine Coast Council to maintain their two soccer fields.
Baringa Football Club is one of two new sporting clubs to be added to council’s Sports Field Maintenance Funding Program which will provide a total of $662,008 in funding to 45 sporting organisations in 2019-2020.
Baringa Football Club joined the Sunshine Coast Football Association this season and has around 50 boys and girls taking part in competitions from under six through to under 11 years.
It will receive $9,986 to be spent over the next 12 months on weekly maintenance such as mowing, fertilising, weeding and more extensive annual maintenance programs like aerating the field and removing dead vegetation that accumulates over the playing season.
Baringa Football Club Acting President Rui Spinola said the club was delighted to receive the funding.
“This grant allows vital work to take place which provides a quality of surface for our young players to be able to play football. This is crucial in terms of their development as having a high-quality surface allows them to play a better brand of football,” Mr Spinola said.
Mr Spinola said ensuring the playing surface was flat and even was also crucial for player safety.
The club is focusing on junior players initially but hopes to offer senior competition in the future.
Tourism, Events and Sports portfolio councillor Jason O’Pray said the Sports Field Maintenance Funding Program, which was endorsed by council at its ordinary meeting today, offers up to three years of funding as a contribution towards the cost of the maintenance of sports fields in the region.
“This program aims to provide consistent, equitable and appropriate support for sports field maintenance across our local government area – the intent is to partner with sporting organisations to maintain their facilities to a competition level,” Cr O’Pray said.
Cr O’Pray said a pivotal and unique aspect of the program was the provision of a council community sports field officer to support successful applicants in a range of ways including:
- Providing information on maintenance required to achieve competition level playing fields
- Development of an agreed maintenance schedule
- Providing information about contractors available to maintain fields.
Community portfolio councillor Jenny McKay said it was wonderful to be able to help support a new sporting club in one of the Sunshine Coast’s major growth areas.
“Sporting clubs are the fabric of our healthy, smart, creative region. They help build cohesive communities and promote active lifestyles,” Cr McKay said.
