Wins for Victorian football have begun to emerge from the 2026 Victoria State Budget, including big wins for facility upgrade funding for both Avondale FC and Hume City FC.
Avondale confirmed the State Labor Government would be giving the club $500,000 to upgrade the lighting at Avenger Park.
And last week, Hume City FC announced the club has secured $250,000 in funding for major facility upgrades at its home ground, Nasiol Stadium.
Avondale’s Avenger Park plays host to their senior and reserve men’s and women’s matches but is unable to be used at night due to no lighting on the pitch.
This has led to the club play matches at neighbouring club facilities or, more dramatically, having to bring in temporary lighting for big matches like their Hahn Australia Cup fixture last year.
Already regarded as one of the premier football facilities in Victoria, this funding will further strengthen Hume’s Nasiol Stadium’s standing as one of the benchmark venues for football across the state.
The upgraded lighting system will provide improved night training and match conditions while supporting the continued growth of football participation within the local community. Importantly, the additional lighting capacity will also create greater opportunities for the continued development and expansion of the club’s Girls’ and Women’s football programs, ensuring more access to high-quality training environments and match-day experiences.
The new LED scoreboard will modernise the venue and elevate the overall spectator experience.
Hume City President Ersan Gulum expressed his gratitude for the support and highlighted the importance of the investment for the club’s future.
“This funding is a fantastic boost for our club and I can’t thank Iwan, Kathleen, Enver and their respective teams enough for their unwavering support of Hume City over many years,” Gulum said.
“We have hundreds of players across all age groups utilising these facilities each week, and these improvements will help create an even stronger environment for excellence, participation, and community engagement.
“Importantly, these upgrades will also assist in the continued growth of our Girls’ and Women’s football programs by providing better access to training facilities and creating more opportunities for female participation within our club.”
Avondale celebrated the good news last week with local member and Parliamentary Secretary Sheena Watt, where Club President Stephen Strano was thrilled with the outcome.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Victorian Government and Sheena Watt for their support through this $500,000 lighting upgrade investment, which will have a lasting impact on our players, families, and the wider Avondale community.
"This funding is a major step forward for our club and will help us continue creating greater opportunities, safer environments, and stronger pathways for the next generation of footballers.”
Football Victoria CEO Dan Birrell praised both clubs following the funding news.
“I'd like to congratulate both Avondale and Hume City for successfully receiving funding and would like to send my sincerest thankyou to all members of parliament who helped the clubs along the way.
"Both Avondale and Hume City are pillars in the Victorian football landscape, building strong and supportive communities around their top level junior and senior football programs.
"Professional level facilities like Avenger Park and Nasiol Stadium are critical for the development of Victorian football and Football Victoria welcomes the news that they will continue to improve thanks to the support of the Victorian State Government."
FV would like to join Avondale FC and Hume City FC in sincerely thanking both the Merri-Bek and Hume City Councils for their ongoing support of our clubs.
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.