AFL Victoria will shoulder the costs for all country organisations, estimated to save each club upwards of $1000 to form a larger $1.7 million net benefit across the state.
The commitment comes as part of an $18 million investment pumped into Victorian community football put forward by the AFL in 2019 — the largest contribution to the grassroots game the state has seen in the past two decades.
A statement released by AFL Victoria commended country football clubs on their survival and proudly announced the latest funding, which relates to costs involving public liability, asset protection, directors and personal injury insurance.
“The game at all levels, particularly community football across our state, has faced enormous challenges and disruptions over the past two years,” it read.
“It is a credit to everyone involved in the game at grassroots level, including club volunteers, administrators and officials, who brought the game back in 2021 after the cancelled season, navigated their clubs through uncertainty caused by the pandemic and helped to get participation numbers back to around pre-COVID 2019 levels.
“Through this funding commitment, AFL Victoria wants to ease some of the administrative and financial burden on clubs by improving cash flow and positioning the game to rebound strongly in 2022, with a full season of football at all levels ahead.”
Metropolitan clubs won’t be left high and dry either.
The statement also indicated metro leagues and clubs now had access to $1.5 million available annually through the Strategic Community Investment Fund (SCIF) as well as tapping in to increased league funding support.
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