Funding & Facilities

SANFL has partnered with the AFL and South Australian Government to launch a South Australian Football Facilities Fund, to create welcoming and inclusive facilities for our football communities.

From state to local grassroots venues, the Fund will enhance the capacity of facilities and football infrastructure for all user groups.

The total budget for the SA Football Facilities Fund is $8,000,000 over three years.

A pool of approximately $2.66M will be available per year of the Fund, with up to $500,000 over three years made available for small projects to enable upgrade of football supporting infrastructure such as goal posts and scoreboards.

Round one has now closed with the next round to open in August.

The grants administered by the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR) provide funding for the development of sustainable, functional, inclusive and fit-for-purpose active recreation and sport facilities and projects that meet the current and future needs of the South Australian community.

The Community Recreation and Sport Facilities Program will assist eligible organisations to develop infrastructure that directly addresses demonstrated need and supports participation through the rational development of good quality projects.

The Active Club Program provides funding support to active recreation, sport and recreational fishing clubs to further develop the programs and services they provide within the South Australian community. Clubs can apply for up to $3,000 for funding of programs and equipment that will benefit the physical activity levels of South Australians.

The objective of the The Power of Her - Infrastructure and Participation Program (IPP) is to provide funding for dedicated facilities, improvements to facilities, equipment and programs for girls’ and women’s sport in South Australia. Successful projects will foster and enhance the participation of female athletes in sport by addressing key challenges and barriers to female participation.

Clubs and asset owners are encouraged to contact the SANFL Infrastructure & Government Relations team to discuss projects and applications.

Local football clubs across Australia will have the opportunity to share in an $8 million funding boost over the next four years, as the AFL and Telstra launch Telstra Footy Country Grants. With a pool of $2 million to be distributed in 2024, eligible regional and metro clubs can apply for grants up to $20,000 – helping strengthen, sustain and grow local footy.

As the foundation of our great game and the heartbeat of communities, investment in local clubs is vital to ensuring everyone has access to play Aussie Rules and experience the health, social and wellbeing benefits that come with belonging to a club.

Whether it’s upgrading to an electronic scoreboard, upskilling volunteers or introducing new initiatives to attract more participants, Telstra Footy Country Grants aims to provide tangible support for clubs and alleviate the challenges they may face.

The Australian Women's Football Fund runs an annual Community Grants Program.

The program has been established to support the growth of women and girls in community football by creating safe and inclusive environments, increasing participation for women and girls (on and off the field), increasing participation opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls, as well as women and girls from culturally diverse communities.

The SANFL Community Football Support fund has been established to assist individuals and families affected by tragedy.

The fund is managed by the Community Football Committee, with oversight by the SA Football Commission, and a charter has been established to provide guidance on the administration of the fund.

The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) is Australia’s leading nonprofit sports fundraising organisation and charity. They are the only organisation in Australia that provides a tax deduction for donations to sport through their unique sports fundraising platform – making it much easier for your club to raise money!

Register with the Sports Foundation and your club can fundraise for anything you need including facility development, new uniforms, team travel, new equipment, training and development programs. With dedicated support for SA football clubs and more than 30 years of fundraising experience, the Sports Foundation knows what works.

SANFL has partnered with the ASF to develop a fundraising guidebook to assist your club to start its fundraising journey, as well as reach your fundraising goals.

It was a record-breaking year for the Toyota Good for Footy Raffle, with $1,187,650 raised across 745 footy clubs across the country in 2023.

Committed to helping grow the game from the grassroots up, Toyota has helped clubs raise over $6 million since 2008 through the Good for Footy program, with local clubs from every state and territory have benefitting.

The SANFL Infrastructure Plan 2022-2032 provides a 10-year road map that addresses the planning, provision and enhancement of football facilities, and identifies the areas of greatest need for investment.

Using a sound evidence base of facility audits, existing participant and likely market demand data, the plan strives to identify the current infrastructure gaps and future requirements needed to better support Australian football across SA.

SANFL has also created a registration of interest process, where clubs and asset owners can let us know about works required at your venue.

The registration of interest has been designed to collect essential information to build a database of projects. This will enable SANFL to present your project to relevant funding partners and to advocate the need for investment.

The AFL Preferred Facility Guidelines should be used by State and Territory Australian Football Controlling Bodies, Councils, Leagues, Clubs, Schools and associated stakeholders to inform the provision and development of appropriate facilities for community level Australian Football venues.

Wonderful work continues to be undertaken in South Australia in partnership with many different stakeholders to improve existing venues and develop new precincts.

We trust you enjoy hearing about the stories behind these projects and look to replicate some of these project features in your own community in coming years.

The South Australian Football Facility award annually recognises best practice in community football facility development across the state.

The award aims to promote and celebrate the provision of well positioned, welcoming, accessible, fit for purpose football facilities that support our growing game’s strategic priorities.

South Australia’s winning project will be nominated for the National AFL Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Awards.

The AFL Ken Gannon Community Football Facilities Awards annually recognise best practise in community football facility development across Australia, along with the people, clubs and other stakeholders driving our best projects.

In a decorated career across many areas of the code, Ken spent much of his last decade of his career developing the AFL’s interest and partnerships in the community facilities space, leading outcomes related to over 800 community football facility projects in that period.

These projects area remarkable examples of best practice that aim to provide well positioned, welcoming, fit for purpose football facilities that support our growing game’s strategic priorities.

South Australian finalists include Max Amber Sportsfield (2022), Norwood (2021), Whyalla (2020) and Mount Barker (2019).

You can learn more about these projects, as well as other finalists from around the country below.