Melton City Little Athletics Centre has had a helping hand jumping a funding hurdle this season with a $4500 grant to buy brand new equipment.
The grant has come via Coles Little Athletics Community Fund’s latest round of funding, bringing the fund’s total sports equipment grant allocation to more than $2 million in three years.
This year’s grants are funded via the sale of Coles’ reusable community bags designed by Aussie kids and the sale of bananas across Coles’ supermarkets on National Banana Day in May.
The Little Athletics centre in Melton South is hoping the new equipment will help budding athletes achieve their sporting potential, freshly sparked by the inspiring performances from Australia’s track and field stars at the Tokyo Olympics.
President Damien Wapshott said the funding will help the centre to carry on through what have been challenging times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We currently have a large group of athletes who have increased their interest in regional and state events and are consistently training in larger groups than ever before,” he said.
“We have recently been purchasing small amounts of equipment as required and as we can afford. The Coles grant will allow us to buy more equipment in one go which we would be unable to do otherwise.”
Mr Wappshot said the new equipment will assist athletes and volunteers each and every week.
“The simple addition of starting blocks will ensure athletes are able to train and learn to use this equipment, as we currently have only one set of starting blocks in good condition.”
Coles Little Athletics Australia President Andrew Pryor said the grants will help Little Athletics centres to develop the next generation of Olympians as the sport builds towards Brisbane 2032.
“We are entering a very exciting period for Little Athletics following the success of Tokyo 2020 and as we set our sights on Brisbane 2032,” he said.
“Around 75 per cent of the Australian track and field team who competed in the Tokyo Olympics and a further 23 percent of para-athletes in the Paralympics, had their start in Little Athletics – that’s why support like this from Coles is so important.”
In addition to providing more than $2 million in equipment grants, Coles has donated more than 3.6 million bananas to Little Athletics centres since 2017.
For more information about Little Athletics and to register, visit www.littleathletics.com.au.
Benjamin Millar
