By Parker McKenzie
Olinda Ferny Creek Junior Football Club has received a $1600 grant from the Toyota Good for Footy Grant to make girls football more accessible and affordable.
Toyota is providing 100 female football teams around Australia with funding to supply new uniforms for female players, with Olinda Football Club one of 30 Victorian clubs chosen for the funding.
Olinda Football Club president Simon Gilson said the funding would go towards providing shorts for players at no cost to parents.
“We don’t have to expect the parents to dip into their pockets to pay more for their kids to play, on top of registration, boots and other stuff,” he said.
“Anything we can do to try to reduce the cost to parents and encourage girls to play footy, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Toyota has provided over $420,000 dollars in funding since the Good for Footy Gear Grant program was established in 2020, with nearly 300 clubs benefiting from the grants.
Mr Gilson said the mindset around female football has changed a lot in the past five years.
“When we do clinics, in schools, sometimes we can bring an AFLW player to them, it’s amazing,” he said.
“In our senior women’s side, we have mothers whose kids are playing junior football and they have the opportunity to play that was never available to them as young kids.”
The 2022 AFLW Toyota Good for Footy Round will run from 11 to 13 February, while clubs have access to fundraising through the Good for Footy Program.
Mr Gilson said the club is thrilled to have the funding available to them.
“This year, we’ve got eight-year-olds right through to 45 year olds playing, so it’s really great to get any assistance we can.”
