$226,724 reasons for these soccer clubs to smile

THEY can’t take to the field just yet, but these Northern Rivers clubs have a lot to look forward to.

SOCCER FUNDING: Casino RSM Cobras Soccer Club and Nimbin Headers Sports Club have received a combined value of $226,724 in infrastructure funding. In 2019 this Casino Cobras team were grand final champions.

SOCCER may be on hold, but two Northern Rivers clubs have plenty of reasons to smile.

Northern NSW Football this week announced that 19 facilities would share in $1.9 million in funding, despite the COVID-19 interruption to the sport.

Within the Northern Rivers area, Casino RSM Cobras Soccer Club and Nimbin Headers Sports Club have received a combined total of $226,724.

Casino president Nathan Scully said he was stoked about the club getting funding, particularly at such a tough time.

“This funding is a blessing,” he said.

“The club will use it to improve infrastructure around the club such as safety nets to prevent balls going around the road when the kids are playing and ground refurbishment.

“It’s going to put a lot of smiles of players faces which is great.”

Northern NSW Football’s head of football, Peter Haynes, said he was pleased that governments at all levels continued to see the importance in honouring grants and funding for public sporting fields for the long-term health and wellbeing of the community.

“It is great to see that funding hasn’t halted for such important community projects, many of the projects which have received money are for shared facilities used by multiple sports and community groups,” he said.

“These venues will be essential for communities to become active again when public health orders are lifted as well as in the long-term.”

Haynes also thanked the volunteers of the clubs for dedicating their time and patience in compiling submissions for funding to improve facilities for participants.

“Our volunteers spend so much time behind the scenes of clubs to make them function, well beyond putting the nets up and serving at the canteen,” he said.

“Developing funding proposals and submissions can often be a daunting task, however each of these projects has been successful, because someone took on the challenge and committed their time and effort.”