Clubs across the state have been awarded a share in $180,000 of funding from Round 2 of the AFL’s New South Wales Facilities Fund.
The AFL’s New South Wales Facilities Fund endeavors to provide community AFL clubs with the means to enhance their facilities and grounds, ensuring the continued growth and inclusivity of Aussie Rules Football at the grassroots level.
Five clubs across regional New South Wales and a local Sydney council have been awarded grants as part of Round 2 of the Facilities Fund, unlocking vital funding to roll-out key facility upgrades.
These upgrades include female-friendly changeroom improvements, safety as well as lighting and ground surface enhancements.
Head of AFL NSW/ACT Andrew Varasdi said: “We are delighted to award the next round of funding as part of the AFL’s New South Wales Facilities Fund.
“Supporting our community clubs and councils is a key priority of ours so we can ensure AFL participants have access to quality infrastructure and inclusive facilities that support their Aussie Rules journey.
“Round 2 of the AFL’s New South Wales Facilities Fund will help deliver projects that are key to this, and we look forward to ushering in these upgraded facilities that support the ongoing growth of our game in the state.”
The awarded clubs and council from Round 2 of the AFL’s New South Wales Facilities Fund will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to fund their projects, with the recipients as follows:
- Murrumbateman Eagles Football Club
- Barooga Football Netball Club
- Nelson Bay Football Club
- Coolamon Rovers Football and Netball Club
- Ku-Ring-Gai Council (St Ives Junior Football Club)
- Cootamundra AFC
- Goulburn Swans AFC
Applications for Round 2 of the New South Wales Facilities Fund opened in June after a successful opening round of the initiative saw 20 community projects receive almost $750,000 in funding.
Since 2020, the AFL has dedicated over $23 million to community facility funding, which has helped deliver 36 lighting projects, 67 new gender neutral changerooms and six new ovals in Greater Sydney alone.
A key project among the facilities that the AFL has helped fund has been the two-stage redevelopment of Henson Park in Sydney’s Inner West. The AFL has managed the construction of the project and contributed $6.5 million to the project – the game’s single biggest investment into community infrastructure in New South Wales.
The redevelopment has also been funded by the Federal Government, Inner West Council and a $5 million grant from the New South Wales Government under the Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund. On completion of the two-stage build, Henson Park will be considered one of the country’s gold-standard AFLW and community football venues located in the heart of Sydney’s inner suburbs.
Stage 1 of the Henson Park redevelopment was officially unveiled in front of a bumper crowd at the NAB AFLW Sydney Derby IV last month, with stage 2 set to be completed ahead of the 2026 community football season.
Projects like these support the continued growth of AFL. As of September 2025, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory boast over 73,000 registered AFL participants across the state and territory with still a term of the year to go.
For more information about the AFL’s facility management and development, visit here.