Wyong Leagues Group is taking the sting out of registration fees by setting up a subsidy program to help families keep their children in the sport.
Significant changes to the popular government Active Kids voucher program means financial support has ceased or been significantly reduced for many families due to the new means-tested criteria.
This has left many local families wondering how they’ll meet registration fees for their children with ever-increasing pressure on the family budget.
In response to this Wyong Leagues Group has launched the Junior Rugby League Subsidy Program to take the sting out of registration fees for all clubs in the Central Coast rugby league community, unless that club already provides a subsidy.
The subsidy will in effect take $100 off registration fees for players registered to play in the 2024 season in the under-5s to under-13s age groups.
The program is anticipated to benefit about 3,000 local children at a cost of more than $300,000.
The move follows the lead of a similar program launched by Canterbury Leagues earlier this month.
Their region, much like the Central Coast, had a significant decrease in participants across younger age groups in rugby league.
After Canterbury Leagues launched their program, they experienced a massive uptake in registrations across the region and Wyong Leagues Group believes a similar growth in the sport will be seen on the Central Coast.
“For the future health of the sport here on the Coast we must do all we can to encourage participation at the junior level,” Wyong Leagues Group CEO Ben Coghlan said.
“We know that plenty of families are finding it tough right now and with so many feeling the pinch, we believe, as a major player in rugby league, that we should do all we can to remove barriers for involvement.
“The benefits to the community from participation by the kids in team sport are way too important for us to ignore.”