Coolum Beach Breakers Junior AFL will receive long overdue changerooms thanks to a $350,000 state government grant, Ninderry MP Dan Purdie said today.
He said years of advocacy had finally paid off for the Club, who’ve been crying out for the basic facilities to support their growing membership.
“I’ve been working with the Coolum Beach Breakers for the past few years and this is a fantastic outcome for the Club and its growing membership,” Mr Purdie said.
Mr Purdie said the Club had experienced significant growth, particularly with the number of girls taking up the popular sport and the lack of amenities, including change rooms, had become a major frustration.
He said he had been working closely with the Club on the plans to upgrade their facilities as part of a MOU with Council and the State Government which will eventually deliver new multi-purpose fields at Coolum State High that will also feature netball facilities.
Coolum Beach Breakers President Tyson Smalley said the funding would be a game-changer for the Club.
“We are ecstatic to hear of our success for this grant,” Mr Smalley said.
“We’ve been in need of changerooms for a long time now and finally we’ll be able to provide a safe space for all our kids and opposing teams.”
“This could not have come at a better time, considering the rapid growth in AFL, particularly female participation.”
Mr Smalley expressed his appreciation for the state’s assessment of the club’s funding application and said he was looking forward to providing fully inclusive facilities as soon as possible.
“We’re also grateful for the support we’ve received from Coolum State High to host us on their grounds and now, with this grant and the additional financial support from AFL Queensland ($150,000) and Council ($50,000), we can finally provide changerooms for our kids.
“We’ve still got a long way to go to bring our facilities up to standard, but I am very confident Coolum’s sporting community will benefit greatly from the larger redevelopment that our local member is assisting with.”
Mr Purdie said he would continue to work closely with the Club to ensure construction is able to get underway as soon as possible. The funding has been delivered as part of the State’s Minor Infrastructure and Inclusive Facilities Fund.
ENDS