The NSW Football Legacy Fund (‘the Fund’) is an initiative established by the NSW Government, Football NSW (FNSW) and Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) as a result of NSW hosting FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in Sydney in July 2023. The Fund will be administered by the Office of Sport in the lead up to and post the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Fund aims to improve football facilities and support infrastructure, increase participation opportunities, and improve female player pathways. These improvements will create a tournament legacy ensuring all of NSW is positively impacted from hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Fund will support football at all levels through the construction or upgrade of community facilities, participation initiatives, leadership, and development programs as well as tourism and international engagement.
The NSW Football Legacy Fund has two separate funding streams, Infrastructure and Participation, and each stream has its own guidelines that define the eligibility, assessment criteria and key dates.
The NSW Football Legacy Fund will be delivered by the Office of Sport in collaboration with Football Australia, Football NSW, and Northern NSW Football.
Participation – to increase participation in football, increase participation of women and girls and/or new markets and improve female leadership opportunities for players, officials, and coaches.
This funding will be allocated $560,000 (ex GST). The grant amount requested must be a minimum of $2,500 and cannot exceed $15,000. There is no limit to the number of applications you can submit and applicants should submit separate applications where you have different programs rather than combining them into one application. The maximum combined funding allocation that a single organisation can be awarded in this round is $30,000.
All applications are required to provide a minimum of 25% co-contribution of the total project cost.
Eligible project examples are included within the guidelines.
This funding will be allocated $2,671,000 (ex GST). The grant amount requested must be a minimum of $25,000 and cannot exceed $150,000.
All applications are required to provide a minimum of 50% co-contribution of the total project cost.
Eligible project examples are included within the guidelines.
The NSW Football Legacy Fund has two separate funding streams, Infrastructure and Participation.
- Eligible applicants to both streams are:
- Incorporated, not for profit clubs, associations, zones or other deliverers that are affiliated, recognised and/or sanctioned by Football NSW and/or Northern NSW Football.
- Incorporated, not for profit organisations that provide football programs or services. (These organisations require a letter of support from Football NSW or Northern NSW Football).
- Local Government Authorities or a Committee acting in accordance with an instrument of delegation from a Local Government Authority – these committees require evidence of this delegation/endorsement of Council to apply on their behalf are eligible under the infrastructure stream.
Applying for the NSW Football Fund is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform. The participation application form can be found here or the infrastructure application form can be found here.
Before you apply, please read the guidelines and related materials to make sure you understand all the relevant requirements. You can find the relevant information here.
Late applications can only be made where an applicant has started an application in SmartyGrants prior to the closing date/time. If for some unforeseen reason you are not able to lodge your application on time, you must contact the Office of Sport at the earliest possible time and no later than one hour after the closing date/time. A late application will only be considered where its acceptance would not compromise the integrity and competitiveness of the process. The final determination on whether a late application will be accepted will be made by the Grant Assessment Panel supported by a probity advisor.
Late supporting documentation will only be accepted for applications already submitted in SmartyGrants and it will only be considered where its acceptance would not compromise the integrity and competitiveness of the process. The final determination on whether a late supporting documentation will be accepted will be made by the Grant Assessment Panel supported by a probity advisor.
If any document is not available prior to the closing date/time and you would like to submit this for consideration you must contact grantsunit@sport.nsw.gov.au no later than one hour after the closing date/time.
Projects that secure or have secured funding from another NSW Government agency/program are ineligible, unless significant new and additional project scope is identified.
Staged components of a larger facility development are eligible, providing the stage being applied for meets the program criteria.
Acknowledging that many venues in NSW are used for multiple sports, facility development projects supported through the Fund must demonstrate the primary benefit is to football participants and stakeholders.
No. Retrospective funding requests are ineligible - this is where projects have commenced prior to application.
Within the Participation stream the co-contribution can be financial or in kind (such as field hire costs, volunteer coaching hours etc), however you cannot use another NSW Government grant as part of your contribution to this project.
For example: Your female development program total cost is $10,000. You can apply for $7,500 in grant funding and you must contribute the remaining $2,500 to the project.
Your budget should clearly demonstrate what components are an in-kind contribution. Please note ineligible project costs in the Guidelines.
In-kind contributions can help to demonstrate the true value of your project. Applications that demonstrate how the program may be sustainable beyond the funding period, with long-term community benefit, will be considered favourably.
The Infrastructure stream does not consider in-kind contributions.
If your organisation is registered to claim GST, the budget provided should be exclusive of GST.
If your organisation is not registered to claim GST, the budget provided should be inclusive of GST however the requested grant amount cannot exceed the maximum grant value stated in the guidelines.
Infrastructure fund projects must commence from November 2023 onwards and be complete within 2 years of notification.
Participation fund projects must commence from November 2023 onwards and be completed within 1 year of notification.
“New markets” refers to demographic markets not currently present in your club. For example, if your club does not have a women’s/girls’ team and is seeking to create one, ‘women and girls’ would be a new market. If your club does not have an inclusive program, a new market would be ‘people with a disability’ were you looking to incorporate a program such as this.
No. Partners can contribute to the project financially or in-kind but this is not mandatory.
Project partners can include organisations such as local Council, clubs and associations, schools, other landowners, local business partnerships or community organisations but can also be any relevant organisation which is supportive of the project and can assist with implementation in some way.
All information and supporting documents required are included in the Guidelines. It is essential that applicants are project and investment ready prior to applying. This means:
- Being able to demonstrate and provide evidence the funding investment will increase participation and support sustainable management
- demonstrating organisational capacity (directly or through their stakeholder partners) to administer a project
- relevant approvals have been sought (if any)
- landowner consent is secured (in the case of an infrastructure or facility project)
- estimated costs and resources are realistic to deliver a project
- co-contribution funding or in-kind funding/resource commitments has been secured and support of any project partners.
Successful projects can take time to prepare and deliver. Engage with Football NSW and/or Northern NSW Football for guidance.
You club/association treasurer should have a certificate of incorporation, or you can search for your incorporated status with:
No. However, to receive grant payments successful applicants will require either an ABN or provide a Statement by Supplier form. This can be downloaded from: https://www.ato.gov.au/forms/statement-by-a-supplier-not-quoting-an-abn/
No, however if your project requires development approval and this has not yet been granted it will impact your merit assessment score. A current Development Application (DA) demonstrates the Project Readiness. If a DA is not required you should upload supporting documentation from the relevant authority stating a DA is not required, i.e., a letter from council.
Yes. A letter from the landowner giving consent for the project must be provided as part of the supporting documentation for all infrastructure projects. This may be from a public authority (Council) or third party. If the applicant organization is the landowner you should upload a statement to this effect.
Ineligible organisations cannot apply however, they can be a project partner with an eligible organisation. The eligible organisation must be the applicant and if successful, the eligible organisation is responsible for delivering the project, reporting and acquitting the funds.
No. The application process is competitive. It is anticipated that there will be multiple applications competing for the funding available.
Successful applications will be those which best meet the objectives of the program, can demonstrate a need for the project, provide a cost-effective budget and can demonstrate that the organisation applying has the capacity to deliver the project.
There are no appeals for unsuccessful applications under these programs. Feedback on your application will be provided with the grant outcome notification letter. You may apply again in the next round of the program.
The NSW Football Legacy Fund has two separate funding streams, Infrastructure and Participation.
Participation stream will close at 1pm on Friday 7 July 2023
Infrastructure stream will close at 1pm on Friday 11 August 2023
You can find the Her Sport Her Way Strategy and other tools here.
You can find the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy Here.
Inclusive design keeps the diversity and uniqueness of each individual in mind and allows maximum use, by the widest range of people, without the need to adapt or add accessories. It incorporates the universal design principles of providing safe, dignified and equitable access through functional space. Designs should be beyond compliant of the Building Code of Australia or Access standards to ensure facilities are accessible to more people.
For further information:
NSW Government Architects - Urban Design for Regional NSW
The guidelines for acknowledging the NSW Government can be found here; https://www.nsw.gov.au/branding/sponsorship-and-funding-acknowledgment-guidelines If you have any further questions, please contact our Communications Team via submitting this request form; https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/contact/media-logo-and-filming-requests
Under the Participation stream, organisations may contribute financially or in-kind to the project and this will be considered as part of the merit assessment process.
Where applicants are including an ‘in-kind’ contribution, you should include a calculation on how you have determined the in-kind amount which is substantiated with written quotes, donated materials and/or equipment or resources. Hourly rates should be determined as follows:
- Un-skilled labour – no more than $50 per hour.
- Skilled Labour – trade hourly rate as determined by the award List of Awards.
If you are applying for an infrastructure project, yes you should include contingency that does not exceed 20% of the total project cost. The contingency value should reflect the complexity of your project and likelihood of cost increases. You should include the contingency amount in the grant amount requested figure so that your income and expenditure figures match. The maximum grant request including contingency cannot exceed $150,000. There is a separate question in the application form for you to include the contingency.
Contingency is not required for applications made under the Participation stream.
In relation to this grant program, construction costs relate to the trades and materials related to the construction or installation of your project including fixtures and fittings that are a part of the project/facility.
This is referring to capital items you intend to purchase for your project which would be subject to depreciation such as plant and equipment.
Australian standards set out specifications and design procedures. These ensure products and services perform safely, reliably, and the way they're intended to. There are 2 types of standards, mandatory and voluntary. More information can be found here
How you demonstrate the need for your project at the proposed location will depend on a number of factors including whether your project is infrastructure or participation and what the actual need or gap you are trying to address. The following information or evidence may help to demonstrate the need for your project:
- Photos of existing condition
- Demographic data
- Surveys by the local / target communities
- Requests for the type of program you intend to run
- Independent reports and/or media that detail the need.
You should answer the question in your own words and provide relevant evidence to support your response.
The supporting documentation we request is used to assess either your eligibility and/or to assist with the merit assessment. Failure to provide the requested documentation may negatively impact your merit assessment scores. For example, if you do not provide evidence of landowners consent, the Office of Sport assumes you do not have permission to undertake this project at the proposed site. Likewise, provision of different quotes to support your budget shows that you have accurate cost estimates and competitive pricing.
The Infrastructure stream requires a financial co-contribution that is at least 50% of the total project cost. You cannot use in-kind as part of your co-contributions.
The Participation stream can use either financial and/or in-kind as co-contributions and this must be at least 25% of the total project cost.
If your project includes providing incentives to the participants, they must be related to participating in Football (Soccer). The incentives could include footballs, shirts to wear as part of the program but not incentives such as food vouchers or movie tickets etc.