Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood pledges millions for community sport in mayoral bid

Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood has pledged a multimillion-dollar boost to community sport, including $200 vouchers and $100,000 sporting club grants.

Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood has pledged a multimillion-dollar boost to community sport to get kids back into the game.

Mr Wood will on Sunday announce a $2.2m program to provide $200 vouchers for families across the City of Melbourne to cover registration and participation fees for children, if elected to the city’s top job in October.

He said the proposed voucher program, as well as $100,000 grants for sporting clubs, aims to counter the rising cost of community sports and declining participation rates post-pandemic.

“Community sport is the backbone of our neighbourhoods, fostering a sense of belonging, teamwork and physical fitness,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the combination of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis means that many families are struggling to afford the costs associated with keeping their kids in sports.

“This voucher program is about helping to remove those barriers and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to participate.”

Aaron Wood with young netballers Charley, Arabella and Lila.

Under the program, families would be apply for a voucher for each child under the age of 18 in their household.

This would be in addition to the $200 voucher program being offered by the state government later this year.

To support additional enrolments, Mr Wood also pledged, if elected, that sporting clubs would be able to apply for grants of up to $100,000 for facility upgrades.

“The City of Melbourne has over 80 sporting clubs operating on 45 fields of play,” he said.

“These grants will help with the smaller things that make a big difference for players – like court renovations, clubhouse improvements and ensuring that clubs and facilities meet the accessibility needs of its players.

“Team Wood will work to make Melbourne a healthier, more inclusive city by supporting community sports and ensuring every child has the chance to get involved.”

Mr Wood with his running mate Erin Deering. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Last week, Mr Wood vowed to scrap the $316m Greenline project, which is expected to cost ratepayers tens of millions of dollars.

He said he would honour awarded project contracts, including the Birrarung Marr upgrade and the completion of Seafarers Rest Park, while reducing the council’s forecast debt by $10m.

“To date, nearly $22.5m has been spent just to get us to this point. Imagine what $22.5m could have done for tackling homelessness, supporting small business or easing the cost of living pressures,” he said.

“What we’ll do is we’ll return $10m of this redirected funding to council’s bottom line that will ensure sound and prudent fiscal management, allowing us to invest in the services and facilities that our residents and businesses need.”

Mr Wood said he championed investments in local sporting facilities when he was deputy lord mayor, including $1.5m in upgrades to four ovals to make them more inclusive, comfortable and safe.

He said his efforts in 2019 saw improvements to sporting pavilions, change rooms, lighting and social spaces which benefited hundreds of community teams, including a growing number of women and girls’ teams.

“Community sport is vital for the physical and mental wellbeing of our kids and it’s

essential that we continue to invest in it,” he said.

“This voucher program is just one way I plan to make Melbourne a city where everyone, regardless of their financial situation, can enjoy the benefits of sport and an active lifestyle.”