Exciting news for football in Melbourne’s inner-north after the Victorian Labor Party commits $500,000 in funding to upgrade the facilities at Mayer Park in Thornbury.
Labor MP for Northcote Kat Theophanous joined in a training session with the Darebin United juniors earlier this month where she confirmed Labor’s commitment.
The $500,000 will be used to upgrade the playing surface and help with construction of a new pavilion.
The funding will be welcome news for the tenants at Mayer Park, which is susceptible to flooding after heavy rainfall and has one of the older pavilions in the area.
Theophanus recognised the importance of supporting local clubs and their facilities with funding.
“We know grounds like this are used week in, week out by our local sports clubs and soccer in particular is a growing sport in the northern suburbs.
“More and more people are getting involved in soccer and we need to make sure these grounds are fit for purpose, that kids can get our there each and every week and not have injuries.
Darebin United SC Club President Michael Slaughter was thrilled with the news and is excited about what this means for the club’s participants.
“The funding is extremely important - It allows us to deliver our football program and to grow.
“This will give them a place to come, to have fun and to enjoy their soccer.”
FV would like to join Darebin United in sincerely thanking both the Darebin City Council and Minister Theophanus for their ongoing support of football.
We are excited to announce further details regarding football related news coming from the 2026 Victorian State Budget soon.
And there is more work to be done in the lead up to the Victorian State Election as we try to level the playing field for funding and support for football. If you haven’t already, make sure you sign the Level the Playing Field Parliamentary Petition.