Cove Sports and Community Club at Hallett Cove scoops federal funding to the value of $396,466

The Cove Sports and Community Club will build new female change rooms with the help of a $396,466 federal grant to cope with the influx of women taking up soccer, footy and cricket.

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The rise in the number of women playing sports such as soccer, Australian rules and cricket in the southwest is expected to continue with the announcement of new Federal Government funding.

The Cove Sports and Community Club at Hallett Cove has received $396,466 through the government’s Community Sport Infrastructure Grants.

The money will be put to work building new, separate male and female change rooms, disabled-friendly changerooms and a unisex umpires room. It adds to the $80,000 that Marion Council put towards the project.

Cove Football Club president Tony Kernahan said the money would make a big difference to female sport, which had “gone through the roof”.

“It’s a fantastic start, and very positive for the sports and community club,” he said.

“We’re hoping it is the start, and we can grow the club in future, and take advantage of the growing number of women taking up these sports.”

He said Cove Football Club’s senior female football team played for the first time last year.

This year it will field two female teams — at senior and under-14 level.

“So it’s growing, and I suspect the new and upgraded facilities will have the same impact on all the affiliated clubs here at Cove,” he said.

“We’re very, very happy.”

Five sports are played at the club — netball, soccer, Australian rules, cricket and BMX.

Mr Kernahan said more and more people were settling in Hallett Cove and he was keen to capitalise on the growth.

“The community club as a whole needs looking at,” he said.

“I’d like to see it operating 24/7, catering to more groups and with capacity for bigger functions.”

He said the club would experience a little short-term pain for long-term gain when work started towards the end of the year.

Marion’s mayor, Kris Hanna, said the funding was good news for Hallett Cove and “great news for local female sport”.

“The new changerooms will encourage greater participation in sport for local women and

girls,” he said.

SA Liberal Senator David Fawcett said the grant would help sport throughout the region — and the government appreciated that “our success and prowess as a sporting nation begins with grassroots sports”.

“Our National Sports Plan, Sport 2030, recognises that sport plays a significant role in

Australia, from our biggest cities, to smaller communities like here in Hallett Cove,” he said.