What is the Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme?
The Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme is a program that provides organisations access to low interest rate loans to deliver community sport and recreation infrastructure.
Background
The $100 million Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme (CSILS) supports the delivery of community sport and recreation infrastructure by offering low-interest government-guaranteed loans to organisations
with the capacity to deliver community sport and recreation infrastructure and service a loan.
The Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme accepts applications from local government authorities, education institutions, facility managers, private enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, state and national sporting bodies, clubs and associations, thus broadening the market to deliver community sport and recreation infrastructure.
The Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme is a Victorian Government initiative delivered by SRV in partnership with the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) and TCV.
Objectives
The Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme aims to:
- Support the delivery of community sporting infrastructure that will increase participation opportunities for Victorians, placing a focus on areas of disadvantage and underrepresented groups.
- Encourage organisations such as local government to bring forward community sport and recreation infrastructure delivery.
- Increase opportunities for investment in the delivery of community sport and recreation infrastructure.
- Support a range of organisations that can demonstrate the capability and capacity to deliver the Victorian Government’s objectives as outlined in the Active Victoria Strategic Framework.
- Encourage a collaborative approach to the delivery of community sport and recreation infrastructure.
Funding
Applicants may apply for one or more loans valued between $500,000 and $10 million each.
Eligible Projects
Projects that may be supported under the scheme include, but are not limited to:
- New or redeveloped indoor or outdoor aquatic leisure facilities
- New or redeveloped indoor sports stadiums
- New or upgraded multi-sport precincts that include the delivery of sports fields, sports courts and pavilion/s
- Active recreation infrastructure including but not limited to trails, play spaces, skate parks and BMX tracks
- New or redeveloped sporting pavilions
- Sporting surface upgrades and developments
- Privately owned facilities where public access is provided
- Sporting infrastructure on school land with a joint use agreement confirming community use.
Eligible Applicants
Applications may be submitted for community sport and recreation infrastructure projects from eligible applicants, including:
- local government authorities
- incorporated, not-for-profit organisations whose primary purpose is to facilitate community sport and recreation activities for example sport and recreation clubs and associations
- Victorian state sporting associations or a national sporting organisation seeking to invest in a community infrastructure projects
- incorporated not-for-profit and private facility managers with long-term community facility management arrangements
- private enterprises with long term community access arrangements
- educational institutions such as universities or non-government schools (schools not in a position to borrow funds are encouraged to work with project partners).
Timing
Applications for the 2020 Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme have now closed.
More Information
2020 Recipients
| Organisation | Project Name | LGA |
| Colac Bowling Club | Bowling Green Shade Structure | Colac Otway Shire Council |
| Darebin City Council | Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre Redevelopment | Darebin City Council |
| East Gippsland Shire Council | Expansion and Upgrade of the WORLD Sporting Precinct in Bairnsdale (Stage 2) | East Gippsland Shire Council |
| Frankston City Council | Kevin Collopy Pavilion | Frankston City Council |
| Frankston City Council | Eric Bell Pavilion Redevelopment | Frankston City Council |
| Glen Eira City Council | Carnegie Swim Centre Redevelopment | Glen Eira City Council |
| Indigo Shire Council | Indigo Epic Mountain Bike Trail | Indigo Shire Council |
| Melton City Council | Melton Recreation Reserve Pavilion Construction | Melton City Council |
| Moira Shire Council | Yarrawonga Multisport Stadium Stage 1 | Moira Shire Council |
| Royal Geelong Yacht Club | Geelong Waterfront Safe Harbour Project – Stage 1 On-land component | Greater Geelong City Council |
| Stonnington City Council | Gardiner’s Creek Corridor Trail Upgrade and Development | Stonnington City Council |
Media Release
The Andrews Labor Government is helping communities transform outdated aquatic centres, build female friendly change facilities and upgradeactive recreation infrastructure.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today announced 11 projects funded through the 2020-21 Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme.
The scheme provides low-interest, government-guaranteed loans of between $500,000 and $10 million to councils, clubs, associations, educational institutions and facility managers to develop high-quality community sport and active recreation infrastructure.
Darebin City Council secured $10 million to transform the ageing Northcote Aquatic & Recreation Centre into an accessible and sustainable community facility with 50-metre and 25-metre pools, splash park, warm water pool, learn-to-swim pool, wellness rooms and new changerooms. The $63.5 million centre will be the first in Australia with a 6 Star Green Star rating.
Other projects to receive a boost include the East Gippsland Shire Council which will receive a $5 million loan to expand and upgrade the WORLD Sporting Precinct in Bairnsdale.
Melton City Council will receive a $3.3 million loan to construct a new pavilion at Melton Recreation Reserve, while Royal Geelong Yacht Club will receive a $4.5 million loan to deliver the Stage 1 On-Land Project at the Geelong Waterfront Safe Harbour Precinct.
Other successful projects are based in Indigo Shire, Frankston, Colac, Yarrawonga, Carnegie and Glen Iris.
Lending through this round of the scheme will help successful organisations deliver almost $170 million worth of community sport and recreation infrastructure across the state.
In addition to providing organisations with access to low-interest loans, the Labor Government makes interest subsidy payments that effectively halve the interest paid by borrowers – saving organisations an enormous amount of money and helping kick-start infrastructure projects that support our economic recovery.
The Labor Government has invested more than $1.1 billion in community sport and active recreation infrastructure since 2014, including $178 million into the Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program that has now supported 70 significant infrastructure projects to make sure our sports facilities are accessible to more people.
