ACT Government injects $3.2 million into Canberra's sports clubs

Trying not to lose my footing while snapping photos of the group of bikes gathered at the top, I can attest to how steep the starting ramp is at Tuggeranong’s BMX track.

The riders don’t have this problem, of course, because, as Tuggeranong BMX Club president Paul Stewart explains, a metal gate folds up out of the concrete to hold all their front wheels in a line before a race.

You’ve probably seen it at the Olympics: when the flag drops, this metal gate drops away and all the bikes are off to a perfectly timed start.

The trouble is, this club’s facilities – located off Sulwood Drive near Mount Arawang – are more than 20 years old now and while there have been plenty of major changes in that time, the start gate is original. And it’s not quite as safe as it could be.

That’s why the ACT Government has awarded the club $47,000 to replace it.

“This one is just a straight-up piece of metal that drops into the ground, whereas the new one has a barrel on the back of it so when it drops down, there’s nowhere for anyone to get their fingers caught underneath it because it basically turns on its own frame,” Mr Stewart explains.

All up, the government has divvied up more than $3.2 million from the latest round of Sport and Recreation Investment Scheme (SRIS) funding across 38 applicants.

There are four parts to it, including the Community Sport Facilities Funding Program, which – according to the government – “supports the development of new high-quality, sustainable facilities, or the upgrade of existing facilities”, the State Organisation Support Program for “improving organisation capacity and capability” through three-year agreements with the government, and similarly, the Industry Partnership Program.

The Tuggeranong BMX Club benefits from the fourth, the Club Enhancement Program, which “assists sporting and recreation groups to further develop their local services and programs including purchasing equipment, upskilling coaches and officials or supporting improvements to club governance”.

The new gate will be installed on the other side of the track, at a new start line, as the club accompanies it with a range of other infrastructure improvements.

“We’ve been riding on this now for about 20 years,” Mr Stewart added.

“To have this brand new gate for our new facility will be fantastic for all the kids and much safer for them as well. Kids [will be able to] hone their skills … on a gate that’s international competition standard … so that’ll be fantastic.”

Mr Stewart comes out here to help with training at least three times a week, on top of the site’s regular maintenance demands.

“It’s a pretty good breeding ground out here. We had Caroline Buchanan – she started off her career out at Tuggeranong BMX as well and made it through to three Olympic games, so definitely there’s a few kids here that are showing plenty of promise that could get there.”

Other recipients of the funding include the ACT Water Ski Association, which received $190,000 to upgrade its clubhouse facilities and refurbish the bathrooms and kitchen.

The Belconnen Netball Association also received $571,000 to construct new female and male toilets and change facilities, as well as a fully accessible toilet and extra storage space.

“[The ACT still has] the highest participation rates in sport in the country, so making sure that we have facilities that meet the needs of our growing city is really important,” Minister for Sport and Recreation Yvette Berry said.

Speaking about the Tuggeranong BMX track, Ms Berry said, “we know this track is going to evolve and get bigger, more people will want to come out here and ride their bikes and compete, hopefully, on the national and international stage”.

“These young people behind me have already been riding for a number of years and have told me about some of the damage they’ve done to themselves, but also how much they love their club and how much they love riding their bikes … so we’re really happy to be able to support them in their aspirations.”