Find out if your club is ready for the Game On grant
Community sports clubs can apply for $25,000 to $100,000 for energy and climate upgrades, with up to 100% of costs covered. Check if yours qualifies in about three minutes.
Round 2 is expected to open in early 2027, see where your club stands now!
What’s the ‘Game On’ grant?
Round 1 makes $17.6 million available and covers up to 100% of eligible costs. That includes the work that makes a project possible, not just the headline item. With a solar installation, for instance, any structural roof or switchboard upgrades required to support it are also covered. On most projects, that means the club pays nothing towards the upgrade itself.
The benefit reaches beyond the balance sheet. More than 14 million Australians use community sporting facilities each year, and for most clubs energy is one of the higher fixed costs. An upgrade that lowers the power bill frees up money the club can put back into teams, equipment and keeping fees down, year after year.
Note that the dates have changed since the program was first announced. Several early announcements listed an opening of 11 June 2026. The updated guidelines set the opening of Round 1 at 1 July 2026, with applications closed early at 9:00 pm AEST on 13 July 2026, instead of the originally planned 28 July 2026. Round 2 is expected to open in early 2027.
Who’s eligible?
Most registered, not-for-profit community sports clubs that are affiliated with a recognised state or national sporting body will meet the core eligibility test. The full criteria are more detailed, and the eligibility check confirms where your club stands in a few minutes.
Your club is likely eligible if:
- It is a not-for-profit organisation set up for community sport
- It is affiliated with a recognised state or national sporting body, such as a state football, cricket, netball or bowls association
- It holds an ABN and an Australian bank account
- It is structured as a company, incorporated association, cooperative or Indigenous corporation
- Its facilities are used for grassroots community sport
- It is a school or tertiary institution with a facility in an outer regional or remote area that the community can access for sport
Your club is likely not eligible if:
- It is a for-profit business, sole trader, partnership or unincorporated association
- The facility operates mainly as a licensed or gaming venue. Areas with bars or gaming machines are excluded, though a club with a small bar can still apply for the parts of the site used for sport
- It has unresolved compliance or acquittal issues from previous Commonwealth grants
- It appears on the National Redress Scheme or Workplace Gender Equality Agency non-compliant lists (WGEA applies only to organisations with 100 or more employees)
Can a group of clubs apply together?
Yes. As an alternative to applying individually, clubs can apply together under a single lead organisation, which can be a council, a sporting association or a peak body. For some clubs, this could be the stronger route.
- Small group: up to 10 clubs, up to $100,000 each, to a maximum of $1 million
- Large group: 11 to 20 clubs, up to $100,000 each, to a maximum of $2 million
A group application suits a council responsible for several facilities, an association applying on behalf of its member clubs, or neighbouring clubs that share a facility. Keep in mind that when a group application is funded in Round 1, every club within it becomes ineligible for Round 2. It is worth deciding carefully which clubs apply together now and which may be better placed applying on their own.
If you’re with a council or association considering a group application, get in touch with our team so we can discuss the specifics.
What the grant funds
The grant funds energy efficiency, electrification and climate resilience capital upgrades that reduce energy use or build resilience against extreme weather. The two columns below show some of what’s eligible and the main things that aren’t.
Some of the eligible upgrades:
- Climate risk assessments and sustainability/climate action plans
- Solar PV and battery storage, including installation, switchboard upgrades and roof strengthening
- Virtual Power Plant (VPP) integration
- EV charging infrastructure
- LED lighting for courts, fields and clubhouses
- Heat pumps for pool heating and hot water
- Heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) upgrades
Not covered by the grant funding:
- Land and vehicles
- Wages or labour
- Routine maintenance and repairs
- Sporting equipment, scoreboards, and furniture
- Cost of preparing the application
- Work that has already started (upgrades can only begin once the grant agreement is signed)
- Gas-to-gas, electric-to-gas, and diesel generators
A question we hear often is what a club can actually get for $25,000 versus $100,000. We’ve set out three indicative upgrade scenarios, with system sizes and what each level typically includes, in a short guide you can download and share with your team or committee.
Priority sports
Every eligible sport can apply for the grant. To spread funding fairly, the program sets aside more than half of Round 1 for a list of priority sporting codes, chosen for their high participation and broad community reach:
Athletics and track and field, Australian football (AFL), basketball, cricket, football (soccer), golf, gymnastics, netball, rugby league, surf lifesaving, and tennis.
If your club is mainly for one of these sports, it’s drawing from the larger share of the funding pool. If your club plays a sport outside the list, it’s still eligible to apply, as long as it meets all the other criteria. Either way, the first step is the same: check where your club stands.
How the grant is assessed
‘Game On: Teaming up for climate action’ is an open, non-competitive grant, which means your club’s application is judged on its own merits against the published criteria, not ranked head-to-head against other clubs. The criteria assess:
– Energy and climate impact: how much the project improves energy efficiency or climate resilience
– Community benefit: how the upgrade supports participation and the broader community
– Project design: how well thought through and deliverable the project is
Round 1 runs from 1 to 28 July 2026 and can close early if it’s oversubscribed. If that happens, applications are considered in the order they were received, so submitting promptly helps at the margins. It won’t make up for a weak application, which is why application quality still matters more than timing.
The assessment also considers spread across sports and regions, so funding isn’t concentrated in one code or one part of the country. More than half of Round 1 is set aside for the priority sports listed above.
Frequently asked questions
When can I start applying for the Game On grant?
Applications open on 1 July 2026 and close at 9:00 pm AEST on 28 July 2026. Some earlier announcements listed 11 June 2026, but DCEEW has released updated guidelines and moved the opening to 1 July. The round may close early if it’s oversubscribed, so preparing early helps.
Is it first come, first served?
Not quite. Applications are assessed on merit against the grant’s criteria, not just the order they arrive. If the round is oversubscribed and closes early, applications are then considered in the order they were received. So applying early doesn’t lift your score, but it does protect against the round closing before you’ve submitted. The practical advantage is preparing early, particularly the supplier quote every application needs.
How much can my club apply for?
Individual clubs can apply for $25,000 to $100,000. The grant covers up to 100% of eligible costs, so most projects require no contribution from the club.
Is my club eligible?
Most not-for-profit community sports clubs with an ABN and an Australian bank account, structured as a company, incorporated association, cooperative or Indigenous corporation, and affiliated with a recognised state or national sporting body, will meet the core test. The facility needs to be used for grassroots community sport. Take the 3-minute eligibility check to confirm it for your club.
We hire our courts/grounds/facility. Can we still apply?
If your club has a tenure arrangement for a facility (whether it’s a freehold, leasehold, or an annual or seasonal licence or permit) and you can get the owner to sign off on the works, you can apply for the grant to upgrade it.
If you casually hire with no ongoing tenure, it must be the venue owner who applies. A council or school can apply for its own venues, either on its own or as the lead of a consortium covering several clubs and sites.
If you’re not sure which fits, our free eligibility check and a quick chat can help.
What can the grant be used for?
Energy efficiency, electrification and climate resilience upgrades: solar and battery storage, LED lighting, heat pumps, HVAC, EV charging, shade structures, drainage, rainwater harvesting and more. It doesn’t fund wages, routine maintenance, work already underway, or cosmetic upgrades.
What are the priority sports, and what does it mean for my club?
More than half of Round 1 funding is set aside for priority sporting codes: athletics, AFL, basketball, cricket, football (soccer), golf, gymnastics, netball, rugby league, surf lifesaving and tennis. Clubs in these codes draw from the larger share. Every other sport stays eligible for the remaining funding.
Can a group of clubs apply together?
Yes. A council, association or peak body can lead a single application covering up to 10 clubs ($1 million) or up to 20 clubs ($2 million). When a group application is funded in Round 1, all of its clubs become ineligible for Round 2.
What do I need to apply?
At a minimum, a supplier quote for your proposed upgrades, evidence of your club’s affiliation with its sporting body, and authority to carry out works at the site. Consortium applications also need a signed letter of support from each member club. The final requirements are confirmed when the guidelines are updated on 1 July.
Does my club need a quote to apply?
Yes. Every application must include a supplier quote to be compliant. It is worth organising early, as it is the document most clubs do not already have.
When will I find out if my club has been successful?
Applications are assessed from August 2026, with outcomes notified through to around October 2026. If your club is successful, you then move to signing a grant agreement around November 2026, which is also when the upgrade works can begin.
When can the project start?
The upgrade works can begin once the grant agreement is signed, which is expected from around November 2026. Nothing can start before that point. All funded works must then be completed by 20 April 2028.
Still have questions?
We’re happy to talk through your club’s situation and what it means. There may be more options than the results suggest, and if there’s anything else with your energy we can help with, grant-related or not, we’re here.
Who is Next Green Group?
Next Green Group is an Australian energy solutions provider with 14 years of experience and over 15,000 projects delivered nationwide. We assess, design, finance, build, operate and maintain commercial energy assets.
We have a proven track record delivering energy upgrades across community sports and recreation facilities, and we understand how they run: the load profiles, the budget pressures, the operational constraints, and what good long-term performance actually looks like.
Next Green Group is also one of only 11 private companies selected by ARENA from more than 140 applicants for the Community Batteries Funding Program, a federal government-backed investment in community energy infrastructure, much like this Game On grant.
We help you scope what’s right for your facility, provide the documentation your application needs, and deliver the project upon your successful application. One team accountable for the whole project, from feasibility through to long-term performance.
Manly Aquatic Centre
- 265 kW rooftop solar system
- One of the largest single solar installations in the Northern Beaches region
Mullum Mullum Basketball Stadium
- 100kW / 205kWh battery storage
- Part of a wider battery rollout for Manningham Council
Lakeside Leisure Centre
- 175 kW rooftop solar system
- Part of a wider 14-site, 662kW solar rollout for Port Stephens Council
Whether you apply on your own or as part of a group, we can help you get application-ready. Book a free assessment to scope what’s right for your facility.
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