FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WE SAW ANOTHER FRUITFUL YEAR IN THE FACILITIES AND ADVOCACY UNIT IN 2021 DESPITE THE ONGOING CHALLENGES OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, WITH INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT BLOSSOMING ACROSS THE STATE.
As players, spectators, referees, and volunteers endured more COVID-19 restrictions, facility upgrades and development continued, accompanied by various funding announcements throughout the year.
in NSW, we understand the needs for more female friendly facilities. This, tied into the upcoming hosting of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where we expect female numbers to spike, facility development becomes crucial for the growth of the game.
Early 2021 saw the launch of our tenth facility guide, Modular Sporting Facilities, thanks to our official modular partner, Ausco Modular. The release of the Guide appropriately followed the release of the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy in late 2020. ‘Inclusive football facilities’ is one of five key pillars in our strategic framework, and with women comprising almost 25% of total participants
Football clubs rejoiced across Greater Sydney in 2021 with $10 million in funding received from Round 1 of the Greater Cities Sports Facility Fund. Football funding was spread throughout Greater Sydney, to as far south as Fairy Meadow (Illawarra United Stingrays), spanning west in the Bankstown region (Padstow), and into Sydney’s northwest region (Kenthurst Park).
The funding from the NSW Government will assist our football clubs in meeting the future demand of the largest sport in NSW and Australia. The NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy recognises that football demand is already surpassing existing facility supply. If action is not taken now to plan and develop infrastructure for the coming decade, the gap will widen and opportunities to play will be lost. 2021 was a year of firsts for many football associations across the facilities space. Nepean Football Association received their two synthetic fields at Jamison Park, a project that has been in the association’s pipeline for many years.
Rudd Park, home of Belmore Eagles FC
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2021 Yearbook.indd 10
2021 ANNUAL REPORT | FOOTBALL NSW
11/3/22 10:56 am
