Football Victoria (FV) is pleased to report Newport Storm FC received $200,000 from the Victorian Government as part of the 2024/25 Budget.
The long-awaited funding will help the club install fencing and netting around its home reserve.
FV Head of Government Relations and Strategy, Sebastian Hassett, said FV was "delighted" to see the fencing and netting upgrades at AW Bond Reserve now confirmed and commended the Allan Labor Government for this investment.
"Newport Storm are a relatively new club - only being formed in 2020 - but have made a huge mark on Melbourne's western suburbs," he said.
"The club's connection to the local Islamic community has opened up previously untapped participation opportunities, and we are especially thrilled at how the club has grown its girls' program.
"The rise of the club and the success of the programs they are running indicate they'll likely need to expand again, which speaks not only to the club's growth but also to the booming popularity of the game in Melbourne's west. It won't be long before we'll need to find additional fields to help support Newport's growth.
"FV would also like to pay a special thanks to Melissa Horne MP, who has recognised that the facilities in Hobsons Bay needed a helping hand and has played a pivotal role in delivering upgrades - including a new pavilion at JT Gray Reserve and Digman Reserve in Williamstown, upgraded car park lighting at Paisley Park in Altona, and this latest upgrade at AW Bond Reserve."
The community club was founded in 2020 and has junior teams participating in FV's Western Divisions between U7's and U13's. Newport has grown from two teams in their first season to 13 in 2024.
Club president Zayed Halloum told Star Weekly the club's main focus is around the safety of their players and the general public.
“In the early period of starting, we were allocated a facility at AW Bond Reserve in Altona," he told Jennifer Pittorino of Star Weekly.
“The facility itself is quite basic and the club has really significantly outgrown some of the aspects of the facility.”
Newport Storm FC has worked alongside FV for the past four years to ensure the completion of this project.
“We said this is what the club is looking like, these are our plans, and I think that the growth in the last couple of years has also been an important factor,” he said.
“Over the years, the club has had to put its own funding into some minor works with the support of the council and Football Victoria."