Having rebuilt the Wollongong Vikings Rugby Club’s juniors from the ground up, Andrew Stanton knows the cost of sport can be prohibitive for some families.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It’s why the club has chosen to waive registration fees for its youngsters – to ensure every one of them can play.
A sports rebate, revealed as part of this week’s budget, will extend similar assistance to thousands of school children across the Illawarra.
In a win for the region’s parents, the government will give $100 handouts as part of an Active Kids Rebate aimed at helping get more kids playing their favourite sport.
From January 1, parents can claim up to $100 per school-aged child, per year – as a voucher to assist with sporting costs like registration or membership fees.
“We’ve got a few kids that are playing with us because we have the free regos,” Mr Stanton, the Vikings’ junior president, said.
“It means kids like that can play sport. I know a few who haven’t played sports because of the cost involved.”
Among those to pull on their boots at Vikings Oval were Mr Stanton’s sons Blair and William.
“We get them out every weekend and just try and keep them active and healthy,” he said.
Netball, football and basketball would be among the sports covered by the Active Kids Rebate, along with swimming lessons, gymnastics and athletics.
Read more: NSW budget 2017: Winners and losers
A full list of eligible sports and activities would be finalised after community consultation, Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said.
The rebate, which forms part of the government’s bid to tackle childhood obesity, won’t be means tested.
Parents would apply online and take the voucher to a registered sports club or provider to receive their rebate.
REBATE AT A GLANCE
What is the Active Kids Rebate?
The NSW government will provide a rebate through a voucher system to parents/guardians of school enrolled children. The $100 voucher can be used for registration and participation costs for sport and fitness activities.
The initiative will reduce the barriers to participation and help change the physical activity behaviours of children and young people in NSW.
The majority of children and adolescents in NSW are not meeting the daily recommended levels of physical activity. In 2015, more than 1 in 5 children in NSW was overweight or obese.
Who is eligible to claim the voucher?
Every family in NSW with a child enrolled in school from Kindergarten to year 12 will be eligible for the Active Kids Voucher.
It will not be means tested and one voucher will be available for every child in the family annually over the next four years.
There will be no limits on the number of applications per family, as long as every child is enrolled in school.
What can the voucher be used for?
The voucher can be used for registration or membership fees for after-school, weekend sport and structured physical activity programs, including swimming lessons, from a wide range of providers.
The vouchers will be redeemable through approved sport, fitness and physical activity providers upon registration.
Who will administer the program?
The Office of Sport will work in partnership with Treasury and Service NSW to implement the systems required to enable families to access their voucher through an on-line process.
The Office of Sport will work closely with approved sport, fitness and physical activity providers to support the largely volunteer workforce in implementing streamlined systems to allow users to redeem their vouchers upon registration.
When will the program be introduced?
From January 2018 families will be able to claim their voucher/s online from the NSW government.
Where can I find more information?
Applications will be facilitated by the Office of Sport. More information will be available on the website as the program details are further developed www.sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids
Source: NSW government