SANFL Outlines Multi-Faceted Funding Model to Drive Community Infrastructure Success

The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) has highlighted its partnership framework to secure long-term infrastructure funding for local Australian rules football venues.

Addressing key economic pressures on community sport, SANFL head of Infrastructure and Government Relations, Belinda Marsh, outlined how a collaborative funding model ensures commercial viability and genuine club accountability.

Speaking on the commercial realities facing tier-two sporting bodies, Marsh pointed to a multi-tiered co-investment strategy spanning federal, state, and local governments, alongside State Sport Organisations (SSOs) and grassroots clubs themselves.

“We always look at a partnership approach and so we’re encouraging our clubs to talk to all their stakeholders.”

“So if you wanted to have a poster child, you’d have a project that had funding from the federal, funding from state, funding from local, funding from their SSO, and importantly funding from themselves and what they’re actually fundraising themselves to bring into the comp into the project, because I think that really shows their commitment,” Marsh said. 

Marsh stressed that requiring direct financial contribution from grassroots organisations fosters long-term project sustainability and governance, shifting operational culture away from reliance on government hand-outs.

“To you know contribute to the project and have accountability for the project and not just sit there with their hands out. 

“So that’s a really big part of our funding model for the clubs is to encourage them to fundraise as much as they can themselves. 

“And for some clubs, 10,000 might be a lot, for other clubs they might be able to get to 300,000.

 “But if they’re just contributing, that would be good. But that’s our utopia of what we always try to aim for,” Marsh added.

Rooted in a 150-year history, the SANFL continues to leverage its powerful commercial footprint, drawing over 38,000 spectators to its grand finals, to modernise facility infrastructure.

Marsh noted that integrating community placemaking principles with purpose-built venues provides the critical Foundation for commercial, cultural, and audience growth across South Australia.

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