Funding boost for young sports stars

Treasurer and Minister for Sport, Curtis Pitt, says young Queensland sports players can now benefit from an extra $500,000 in funding for the State Government’s popular Young Athletes Travel Subsidy. 

Mr Pitt said the extra funds he had approved was good news, not only because it came on the eve of National Youth Week to be marked from April 8 to 17, but it would also help more Queensland families with children needing to travel to sporting competitions.

“The excitement of this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro plus having the Commonwealth Games in Queensland in 2018 will encourage more young people to take up a competitive sport, and the State Government wants to do whatever it can to encourage them and help their families,” he said. 

“With the extra $500,000 there is now a total of $1.5million available to eligible applicants wanting to travel and participate in major competitions,” Mr Pitt said. 

He said three levels of assistance were available to applicants who were under 18 and met the scheme’s criteria:

• state or state school event - $200
• national or national school event - $400
• international event - $600.

“This subsidy and the extra funds available will go a long way to helping more young people to participate in regional, state and national events,” Mr Pitt said. 

“It will open up opportunities for athletes who may not have previously considered attending interstate or international events because of financial constraints. 

“With more funding available we can certainly help them do so,” Mr Pitt said. 

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