Cricket Victoria has welcomed this week’s announcement by the Victorian Government of a $1.4 million pilot program to open up school sporting grounds for greater community use across Melbourne’s western suburbs. The initiative, aimed at expanding access to open space and boosting participation in grassroots sport, was launched at Homestead Senior Secondary College by Deputy […]
Cricket Victoria has welcomed this week's announcement by the Victorian Government of a $1.4 million pilot program to open up school sporting grounds for greater community use across Melbourne's western suburbs.
The initiative, aimed at expanding access to open space and boosting participation in grassroots sport, was launched at Homestead Senior Secondary College by Deputy Premier Ben Carroll and Member for Point Cook Mat Hilakari. Cricket Victoria's General Manager of Premier Cricket and Community Cricket, Liam Murphy, was in attendance to mark the occasion.
With one of the fastest-growing populations in Australia, Melbourne's west continues to be a stronghold for cricket. In the Wyndham local government area alone, overall cricket participation has risen by 8% year-on-year, with a remarkable 18% growth in women and girls' cricket.
"This is a huge win for Victorian local cricket and community sport more broadly," said Liam Murphy.
"As demand continues to grow, we need more places for people to play our great game, and this program delivers exactly that."
The pilot, which follows Cricket Victoria's ongoing advocacy, is designed to create stronger links between schools and local sporting clubs, improve access to green space, and help meet the rising demand for facilities in high-growth areas.
"Ultimately, this means more boys and girls can pick up a bat or ball each week and dream of becoming the next Meg Lanning or Scott Boland," Murphy added.
Cricket Victoria looks forward to working closely with the State Government to ensure the success of this pilot and support its expansion into other parts of Victoria in the future.
