Immediate assistance grants of up to $5000 are available for community football clubs impacted by floods in Victoria.
On offer as part of the AFL’s Community Relief Fund, the funding is an initial response to help provide emergency support.
In a statement released recently, AFL Victoria said it was monitoring the scale and extent of the devastation suffered by many in the football community across Victoria due to the floods, with many grassroots clubs having facilities and equipment severely impacted.
The organisation outlined the importance of sporting facilities in the community, pledging support to get local football clubs back into operation as quickly as possible.
AFL Victoria is in the process of making contact with all impacted clubs, and is encouraging clubs to make contact through AFL regional offices.
Seymour Football Netball Club was one of many clubs across the Goulburn Valley effected by the flooding crisis.
Its Kings Park home was completely inundated by floodwaters, with its change rooms and gym receiving damage and the deck itself being completely waterlogged.
Lions president Gerard O’Sullivan gave an update on the impact of the flooding on the club in last week’s Telegraph.
“To the best of our knowledge, our actual club rooms might have been spared. The Eastern Hill Cricket Club rooms have been significantly damaged, along with the football club gym, time keeper’s box and scoreboard,” O’Sullivan said.
“We really don’t know the full extent of the damage, though, because the ground itself is still under severe flooding, so we can’t get access to the rooms to assess it.
“The impact on, not only us, but the entire town, has been devastating and it’s going to be a long, long clean-up for the community.”
While the football and netball seasons are some time away, the timeline for which summer sports, such a cricket, can get back up and running remains unclear, with a number of cricket facilities across the region severely impacted.