Game On grant: up to $100k for community sports clubs

The federal government just put a serious chunk of change on the table for community sports clubs: up to $100,000 each, no co-funding required, for solar, batteries, EV charging and other energy upgrades. The program's called Game On: Teaming Up for Climate Action, and Round 1 opens on 1 July 2026 and closes 28 July 2026.

500 clubs nationally will get funded across both rounds. That's not a lot, and the round closes early if the pool runs out (it's "open non-competitive", meaning eligible applications are funded in the order they're received). So if your club's been talking about solar, a battery, or EV charging, this is a great time to act.

Here's everything you need to know to put together a winning application.

What is the Game On grant?

Game On: Teaming Up for Climate Action is a $35.3 million federal grant program designed to help up to 500 community sports clubs across Australia cut their power bills, reduce emissions, and make their facilities more resilient to extreme weather.

It's administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) through the Community Grants Hub, and was announced as part of Australia's Net Zero Plan and 2035 emissions reduction targets.

The program runs from 2026-27 to 2028-29, with two funding rounds:

• Round 1: $17.6 million. Opens 1 July 2026, closes 28 July 2026
• Round 2: $17.6 million. Opens 2027-28 (date TBC)

Each club can only receive one grant total across both rounds.

How much can your club get?

Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000 per club, covering 100% of eligible costs. No co-funding is required from your club, though you can stack the grant with state-level rebates and private sponsorship.

The maximum grant period is 16 months, meaning the project needs to be completed by 30 March 2028 at the latest.

Who's eligible?

To qualify for the Game On grant, your club needs to tick all of these boxes:

• Community-focused, not-for-profit sports club
• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• Affiliated with a recognised state or national sporting body (e.g. your state football federation, netball association, cricket association, etc.)
• Directly delivering community sport or managing community sports facilities
• One of these entity types: incorporated association, company / Pty Ltd, cooperative, or Indigenous corporation

Schools and tertiary institutions are eligible only if the facility is in an outer regional, remote, or very remote area (as per ABS Remoteness Areas), AND the facility provides genuine community sports access.

Groups of clubs can apply together to deliver upgrades across multiple sites. Good option if you share facilities with another club or there's a cluster of clubs in your region.

Who's NOT eligible

The grant has some clear exclusions:

• Licensed venues, RSL clubs, and gaming or poker machine venues are excluded
• Clubs whose primary purpose is hospitality rather than sport
• Facilities used primarily for licensed activities
• For-profit operators

If you've got a clubhouse with a small bar attached, you're typically still fine, but you can't claim for the bar area. The grant covers genuinely community-sport facilities.

Priority sports get more than half the funding

The grant guidelines designate a list of priority sports that will receive more than 50% of the total funding pool. If your club plays one of these, you're in a strong position:

• Athletics
• AFL
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Soccer / Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Netball
• Rugby League
• Surf Lifesaving
• Tennis

Not on this list? You can still apply. The other ~50% of funding is open to all other sports (rugby union, hockey, lawn bowls, swimming, sailing, equestrian, baseball/softball, cycling, rowing, martial arts, touch football, and more). You're just competing in a slightly smaller pool, so a strong application matters even more.

What can the grant fund?

The grant specifically targets energy efficiency, electrification and climate resilience upgrades. Eligible projects include:

• Solar PV systems for your clubhouse, sheds and amenities
• Battery storage to cover evening training and weekend events
• Switchboard upgrades (if needed to support solar or other electrical upgrades)
• LED sports lighting for courts, fields and clubhouses
• Heat pumps for hot water (great for change rooms and showers)
• HVAC upgrades (energy-efficient heating, cooling, ventilation)
• EV charging stations for your carpark
• Solar carpark shade structures (solar generation plus all-weather covered parking)
• Building envelope improvements (insulation, draught-proofing, double glazing)
• Energy audits and feasibility studies to inform your upgrade plan
• Climate resilience infrastructure (e.g. backup power, water-efficient irrigation)

A typical winning project bundles several of these into a single upgrade. For example: a 30 kW solar system + 20 kWh battery + LED lighting upgrade for the courts, all delivered as one project.

How to apply

The application process runs through GrantConnect and the Community Grants Hub. Here's the broad flow:

1. Register your interest on GrantConnect to get notified of any updates
2. Read the official grant opportunity guidelines carefully (look for "Game On: Teaming Up for Climate Action" on GrantConnect)
3. Confirm your eligibility (ABN, entity type, affiliation, facility ownership)
4. Get a tailored technical scope and quote from an installer for the upgrades you want to apply for
5. Prepare your application addressing the assessment criteria, including project benefit, community impact and cost-effectiveness
6. Submit through the Community Grants Hub portal before 28 July 2026

The portal will assess applications in the order received, so submitting early gives you the best chance of being funded before the pool runs out.

How Green.com.au helps your club win this grant

We work with sports clubs to put together winning Game On applications, then deliver the install once you're approved. Here's how:

1. We check your eligibility. Quick conversation to confirm your entity type, affiliation, ABN and facility setup all qualify.
2. We build your technical scope and quote. Tailored to your site, sized to your usage pattern, and structured to maximise the value of every grant dollar. A solid technical scope and quote is often what separates a successful application from a rejected one.
3. We support your application. We can't write the application for you (the grant guidelines require the club to apply), but we can give you the technical detail, quotes and supporting documents that make your application stronger.
4. We deliver the install. Once your grant's approved, our team handles every step: switchboard upgrade if needed, solar install, battery commissioning, EV charger install.

Check your eligibility

Want a quick eligibility check? Use the questionnaire below to see if your club fits, and we'll be in touch within 4 business hours.

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Use the questionnaire above to see if your club's a strong fit for the Game On grant. Or if you'd rather chat, give us a bell on 1300 22 92 92 or request a free quote online.