A sporting chance for Cranbourne kids

Pauline Richards meets with kids from Cranbourne West Primary School.

Some of the state’s most vulnerable families will get help to cover the cost of sporting activities for their kids, thanks to a State Government program.

Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards encouraged eligible families in Cranbourne to take advantage of the $21 million Get Active Kids Voucher Program, which is rolling out up to 100,000 vouchers across four rounds from 1 March 2021.

A Victorian first, the program provides sport vouchers worth up to $200 each to help kids from Victorian families with the cost of membership and registration fees, sports equipment and uniforms for their sports club.

To be eligible kids need to be 4 to 18 years old, a resident in Victoria, named on a current Australian Government Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card and also named on a valid Australian Government Medicare Card at the time of application.

The program is also supporting sport clubs and active recreation providers broaden their memberships, providing them with additional revenue to help recover from the impacts of Covid-19.

The Get Active Kids Voucher Program is part of the Get Active Victoria initiative, which is helping families to move more, every day with ideas, tips and tools to motivate and support people to be more active– like guided workout videos, articles and a free activity tracker.It’s part of a package that also includes the $24.2 million Active Schools Program, delivering more opportunities for kids to get more active both at school, home and in the community.

Applications for vouchers in round one of the program open 1 March 2021 and close 11 April 2021. To apply online or for more information about the program including dates for future rounds visit https://www.getactive.vic.gov.au/

“The Get Active Kids Voucher Program is a great opportunity for eligible families to get their kids in to local sport without breaking the budget,” said Ms Richards.

“Grassroots sports clubs in Cranbourne are the heart and soul of our community bringing people together and creating healthier, happier, and more united communities, our vulnerable kids deserve to be a part of this.”