$200,000 flows to SA local footy clubs thanks to Telstra Footy Country Grants

The AFL and Telstra have injected $200,000 into local football clubs in South Australia in the first year of the Telstra Footy Country Grants program, with 66 projects benefiting from the funding.

Across the entire State, both metropolitan and regional clubs have benefited from the grants for an array of initiatives to help assist volunteer development, broaden participation and improve experiences offered by community clubs.

Projects funded in 2024 include:

• Upgrades to electronic Point of Sale systems
• Electronic scoreboards
• Purchase of defibrillators
• Indigenous or Pride themed guernseys
• Behind the goal netting to improve safety
• Assistance for start-up costs to create new junior girls teams
• Line marking systems
• Portable goal posts and goal post padding

One regional SA club to benefit was the South Augusta Football Club which was able to fund Indigenous guersneys and provide cultural awareness sessions for its community – strengthening the connection between players, coaches and officials with the club’s rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.

Nationally, the first year of the Telstra Footy Country Grants program provided $2 million into nearly 600 local country and metropolitan football club projects around the country.

AFL Executive General Manager of Game Development Rob Auld said he was proud to see the Telstra Footy Country Grants program actively helping clubs where they need it most.

“When we launched Telstra Footy Country Grants this year our aim was to fund as many applications as possible with the two million dollars to help clubs acquire vital items, aid volunteers and grow their participation,” Auld said.

“To now reflect and see that we’ve been able to help fund everything from lifesaving defibrillators, behind the goal netting, line markers as well as Indigenous and pride guernseys across nearly 600 local clubs is a terrific result.

“Aiding local footy clubs remains a priority for the AFL as we continue to strengthen the foundation to sustain the future of our game.

“I’d like to thank Telstra for their continual support of local footy clubs and the community, the Advisory Board of the program for their commitment and time as well as our state and territory associations for connecting with clubs to ensure the best outcomes were achieved.”

Telstra Footy Country Grants will give local footy clubs an $8 million boost over four years, with a pool of $2 million to be distributed each year. Eligible regional and metro clubs can apply for grants of up to $20,000, helping to strengthen, sustain and grow local footy.

Submissions for the Telstra Footy Country Grants program are now open for 2025. Clubs in South Australia can contact [email protected] for local support with submissions.