Mystery man saves St Mary’s Football Club
AN ANONYMOUS ex-clubman has donated $50,000 to save St Mary’s Football Club from financial disaster
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AN ANONYMOUS ex-clubman has donated $50,000 to save St Mary’s Football Club from financial disaster.
The donation will be spent installing new solar panels at the club.
The NT News revealed in May the club, one of the most storeyed and successful sporting clubs in the country, was struggling to stay economically viable.
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Back in May, club president Steve Ludwig said the club’s inability to install solar power, after three of its grant applications were knocked back, had been “a big blow”.
“What really has knocked us is we weren’t able to install solar power,” he said at the time.
Yesterday, Mr Ludwig said the new solar panels — to be installed by the end of the month — would be a game changer.
“It’s going to reduce our overheads and we won’t have to maintain the same capital outlay for electricity,” Mr Ludwig said.
“With reduced bills it’s certainly going to allow us to operate without the same level of pressure.
“We’re absolutely stoked — it’s all been made possible through our call outs for help through Michael Long, Mark Robinson and the NT News.”
Mr Ludwig added that the solar panels would allow the club to “build a sustainable future for (the) clubroom”.
It is understood the $50,000 donation came from a former St Mary’s player who played for the team in the late 1960s.
“He has wanted to put something back into the club that is enduring,” Mr Ludwig said of the donation.
Mr Ludwig said EnergyAware would also be paying part of the costs for the system as a form of sponsorship.
Earlier this month, the club’s financial future was further sandbagged at a major fundraiser which raised $18,000.
“Part of the success is that we aren’t the only ones that are struggling out here in club land — a lot of people are doing it tough at the moment and understand,” he said.
“We are eternally grateful for the support from our community and from AFLNT.”
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All major auction items at the club fundraiser sold, except for an AFLNT corporate box for 2019 valued at $7500.
Mr Ludwig said the corporate box item was still for sale.
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