All-abilities sport gets major funding boost in the region

By Oliver Shedden

Jun 10, 2025

Ariana Perissinotta, Kerri Heddle, Natasha Witton, Helen Main, Barabara Malinowski, Valerie Orr, Elise Smith and Karen Betts will all use the MultiBall sport wall purchased with the grant money. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

People living with a disability in northern Victoria can look forward to more opportunities to be involved in the sports they love, with the Victorian Government announcing the recipients of grants supporting and encouraging people to participate on and off the field.

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State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes has announced 21 grants worth more than $350,000 from the Regional All Abilities Participation Grants program for grassroots sport and active recreation clubs, and not-for-profit organisations.

The program is part of the government’s $40 million All Abilities Sport Fund, which aims to remove barriers for people with disability to get involved in sport and recreation across regional Victoria.

Vivid and Cohuna Golf Club will receive a major boost from the grants, with the former getting $20,000 and the latter $9000.

Other statewide organisations that have a presence in Echuca and surrounding areas will also receive grants, including $20,000 to Special Olympics Australia, $4675 to Riding for the Disabled Association of Victoria, $25,000 for the Bocce Federation of Victoria and $15,262 for Paddle Victoria.

Vivid will be using its $20,000 grant to install MultiBall in Echuca, an interactive, all-ability sport wall to support adults living with a disability, including those with sensory or behavioural needs who are unable to participate in traditional sports.

“We are very excited to have received the $20,000 funding through the Regional All Abilities Participation grant funding program,” Vivid executive manager of resources Shannon Walker said.

“MultiBall will enable Vivid to offer a new innovative sporting opportunities to people of all abilities within the communities in which they live, increasing participant self-worth, self-confidence and community connectedness.

“Many of our clients are unable to afford to purchase sporting equipment or the payment of club fees. With MultiBall’s 50-plus activities and programs, it caters for a wide interest span, age or cognitive level, removing the financial barrier to participate and be active through sport and movement.

“MultiBall will allow us to offer all-year-round participation in a multitude of sports not available in our region, on either an individual level, or in a team.

“We are seeking to introduce brand new ‘all-abilities’ community social competitions on weekends and evenings, increasing capacity of inclusive, all-abilities sports in regional Victoria.”

Cohuna Golf Club committee member and former president Geoff Hall highlighted the club’s thought process behind applying for the grant and what the club intended to do with the funds it had received.

“We’ve got a number of NDIS golfers in our club learning to play golf,” he said.

“We thought it was a good opportunity to provide some coaching to encourage those potential players of the future to learn the fundamentals of the game.

“We wanted to give them access to professional coaching, so we spoke with Matt and Sienna Voglis, and they agreed to quotes us for six weeks of professional coaching for a number of players that might be interested.”

Hall was thrilled that the club would be able to provide a professional coaching service for all-abilities players, while also securing the long-term future of membership at the club.

“I think it is a terrific outcome for both the players and the club; we are looking at long-term membership from all corners,” he said.

“We are conscious that for our long-time viability that we need to encourage younger players to become involved and have a cross-section of players across the demographics in our community.”