Darra-based Centenary ‘Stormers’ Football Club is searching for new recruits amid a $355,000 funding promise to improve the club’s facilities.
Following Labor’s victory in the recent federal election, Ceneterary FC’s has secured funding from Member for Oxley, Milton Dick to improve and expand the club’s facilities in Atthows Park, Darra.
Belinda Fisher, FC President, said the money would “make a massive difference to our club.”
“We are using it to put up movable grandstands and to improve parts of our field, which will be amazing,” she said.
“We don’t currently have a lot of seating around that club, so a lot of people stand.
“This is going to make a massive difference to recruiting, spectators will be able to sit down undercover and watch a game.”
The community-based FC was established almost twenty years ago and competes in the Football Queensland competition.
Centenary FC runs three teams in the senior division, eight in the junior and 12 teams in the miniroos competition.
They are looking to expand the club’s membership in the junior and miniroo team divisions, actively looking for players in the six to 12 and 13 to 18 year old age ranges.
“Particularly in the female area of football, we’d love to have a lot more female teams. Our senior women’s team is also still recruiting at the moment,” Ms Fisher said.
“We’re looking to upgrade one of our fields, which can’t really be used for training at the moment. By doing that, we’re going to have this opportunity to have more teams training.
“It just gets more kids playing and involved with soccer, which is what we want to do.”
The funding will cover the costs of field maintenance, which can cost anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000 per year.
“This definitely helps us to get ahead and not have to increase our fees, which is wonderful,” Ms Fisher said.
“It was a lovely surprise to find out that we had been given the funding, or were promised the funding, during the election, and were lucky enough now to receive it, now that Labor has retained government.”
The renovations will begin as soon as the funding is processed and received. Centenary FC previously received funding from the most recent Queensland state election, held in October 2024.
“We have received a lighting upgrade as a part of the state government election, so that’s not happening until the latter half of this year,” Ms Fisher said.
“It’s taken about 8 to 12 months for the fund to come through.
“We’re hoping that by the end of the year, we can at least have our grandstands and possibly some of the stuff happening towards the field upgrades, which would be great.”
