Bermagui Breakers AFL Club will be getting a makeover thanks to two successful grant applications.
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Club administrator Kylie Scott said they received a letter on Friday, February 17, from NSW Minister for Hospitality and Racing David Anderson, advising they had been awarded $100,000 for an all-electronic scoreboard.
Late last year the club secured $16,680 to help with ground upgrades including player shelters through the NSW Government's 2022 Community Building Partnership Program.
Currently there are no player shelters at the club's grounds at Dickinson Oval.
Ms Scott said their success with the grants was down to Jet Laidlaw who moved from Darwin to Bermagui with his wife and three children about 12 months ago.
"His kids joined the club and when we mentioned we were applying for grants he said that is what he does for a job," Ms Scott said.
Next on Ms Scott's wish list is new lighting for the club's grounds.
"They are not match standard," she said.
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The people at the annual dog show at the oval last week had also commented on the poor quality of lighting for their evening events.
"Half of the lights are broken but we need them for training," Ms Scott said.
The clubhouse though is in good condition because it was rebuilt in 2015 after it was destroyed by a fire in 2012.
During that time they operated the canteen from a van, used the toilets at the neighbouring surf lifesaving club and did without changing rooms.
Well supported
Bermagui Breakers was established in 1990 and fielded seven teams last year: four youths' sides plus a youth girls, women and a senior men's side.
Ms Scott said generally they do not have many problems attracting players.
However, last year after two years of COVID "you struggled to get kids motivated and some of it is reluctance of parents to get involved.
"With COVID they got used to not doing it," she said.
The club's major sponsor last year was Bermagui Country Club and Ms Scott hopes that will continue this year.
"In the past Bermagui pub has been very good to us as well.
"Many a business helps in many ways" be that sponsorships, one-off donations or volunteering vouchers for game day awards.
It is only over the past year with the arrival of Mr Laidlaw that the club has proactively applied for grants which are useful for upgrades.
Bermagui Breakers will host this year's local Indigenous round which coincides with the AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls round in late May/early June.
"We already have the jerseys. They were designed by a young Bermagui boy.
"We are going to have a big day with a smoking ceremony," Ms Scott said.
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