St George Bank Footy Grants doubles funding to help grassroots clubs overcome coronavirus scourge

Funding has been doubled for the St George Bank Footy Grants Program this year because the grassroots is so in need of support - with ‘cleaning equipment’ high on the list of needs.

Reds (from left) Kiri Lingman, Jordan Petaia, Moses Sorovi and James O'Connor with eager rugby juniors at the St George Bank Footy Grants launch before the COVID-19 shutdown. - Photo Supplied QLD Rugby

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A $200,000 lifeline in footy grants across four codes will inject desperately needed support into clubs trying to bounce back from the coronavirus scourge.

Funding has been doubled for the St George Bank Footy Grants Program because the grassroots is so in need without the resources at the professional end of sport.

Applications are still open at stgeorge.com.au/footygrants until May 31.

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Reds players with rugby juniors at the grants launch before the COVID-19 shutdown.

Already, assistance has been sought away from the traditional clamour for updated equipment and online training courses for coaches in regional Queensland and NSW.

No club put “purchasing cleaning equipment” on a grant application last year but several have already been lodged this year alongside support with registration fees for families suffering hardship.

“We are pleased to participate in something that really helps our local communities, especially in what has been such a challenging year,” Queensland Reds captain Liam Wright said.

St George Bank’s sponsorship of the Reds, rugby league’s St George Illawarra Dragons, AFL’s GWS Giants and Brisbane City Football Club has spawned the four-code reach for the national grants program.

Dragons centre Euan Aitken played his junior league in NSW for the Merimbula-Pambula Bulldogs and Shellharbour Sharks.

“The chance to be able to participate in an initiative that helps players and local clubs get back on their feet is something that is close to my heart,” Aitken said.

St George Bank general manager Ross Miller said staying solid on the bank’s sporting sponsorships is critical in keeping the codes viable.

“We’re proud to extend our love of footy to provide local grassroots clubs essential funding and support during one of the most challenging of seasons,” Miller said.

“Grassroots clubs have been hit hard by current social distancing restrictions and our Footy Grants Program is needed more than ever to alleviate some of the pressures so clubs, teams and individuals can adapt in this extraordinary situation.”

St George star Euan Aitken is a big supporter of the scheme.

Last year, Karana Downs Rugby Union Club received a $5000 grant to upgrade the club’s canteen facilities which were damaged extensively during the 2011 Queensland floods.

Juniors and community clubs are eyeing a return to the footy field from July 11 when Queensland’s health restrictions ease to Stage Three but there are still grey areas that allow kids to get together with a footy.

From Saturday, a footy dad might post on Snapchat, for example, that an informal kick-and-pass is on at the local park and imagine nine kids from a junior team getting together for a “non-contact activity”.

A second dad might organise another nine kids from the same team at the other end of the same park to keep at the 10-person limit.

Some clarification is needed from Queensland Sports Minister Mick de Brenni because the same dads, if they call themselves coaches, would be unable to formally organise the same kids to train at a club in team jerseys.

From midnight on June 12, the easing to Stage Two restrictions means a doubling to 20 people in a gathering for “non-contact indoor and outdoor community sport”.

Country rugby and league clubs, with no cases of infection in their regional centres, feel they have a case to start earlier.

* Nominations are open for Queensland, NSW and ACT residents over 13-years-old who want to put forward an individual nomination or a registered local club they think would benefit from a St.George Bank Footy Grant. Individuals and clubs are also welcome to self-nominate.