By Alesha Capone
The Werribee Football Club has been given $130,000 to help its recovery from the pandemic and to succeed in the restructured VFL competition.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas last week said Werribee has scored funding from the state government’s Strengthening Victoria’s AFL Development Pathways Program (SVADPP).
Mr Pallas said Werribee as “a long and famous history and are a much-loved part of the community”.
“This support will help the club stay COVID-safe and thrive in the expanded VFL competition to the benefit of local players, volunteers and supporters,” he said.
Under the SVADPP initiative, nine Victorian football clubs have been given grants to help support the extra costs of staying COVID-safe and to help meet the travel expenses associated with playing games interstate due to the pandemic.
Williamstown, Coburg, Frankston, the Northern Bullants and Port Melbourne also received $130,000 grants.
Three AFL-affiliated clubs – Box Hill Hawks, Casey Demons and Sandringham– received $65,000.
Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Martin Pakula said the grants would help clubs recover after a “coronavirus wipe-out in 2020 and further disruptions this year.”
“Supporters of VFL clubs are among the most passionate in any sport and having a strong secondary league is important on the community front as well as on any football measure,” Mr Pakula said.
