A Victorian-first program to provide vouchers of up to $200 each for sporting equipment, uniforms and memberships will open within days, providing a major boost to the budgets of thousands of families.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence announced on Friday 26 February 2021 that applications for the Get Active Kids program will open at 10am on Monday, 1 March, with the first of up to 100,000 vouchers to be made available.
“Every child deserves the chance to be active and healthy and these vouchers will help families to afford the sports their kids love to play.”
African-Ausralian boy paying basketball in Melbourne
A total of $21 million package is available for the program in the Victorian Budget 2020/21, supporting not only families but also sports clubs and active recreation to broaden their memberships and provide them with additional revenue to help them recover from a tough 2020.
The vouchers are available for children aged four to 18 who reside in Victoria, are named on a current Australian Government Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card and also named on a valid Australian Government Medicare Card.
Second-hand equipment and uniforms purchased that meet the eligibility criteria can be claimed as part of the program, in addition to new equipment and uniforms.
Sports associations in Victoria have welcomed the program.
Netball Victoria chief executive Rosie King reacted to the announcement by stating that “Many kids had a break from sport during the pandemic – this program removes barriers for many families and will enable kids to get back to playing sport with their friends.”
Football Victoria chief executive Kimon Taliadoros also reacted positively to the program. “The Get Active Kids voucher program will provide so many Victorian families with the tangible support they need, enabling children to return to the pitches alongside their friends and build a life-long love of our beautiful game.”, he stated.
The Get Active Kids complements is said to provide investment in the Sporting Club Grants initiative, which opened this month with up to $6 million available for clubs and associations to pay for equipment and uniforms, boost administrative skills and improve operations.
Get Active Kids is part of the Get Active Victoria initiative, which is helping families to move more every day with ideas, tips and tools such as guided workout videos, articles and a free activity tracker. Get Active Victoria has something for everyone, regardless of their current level of activity or fitness.
Applications for vouchers in round one of Get Active Kids will close on 11 April 2021. To apply or to obtain more information, visit getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers.
