Contents:

1. 🏫 The AFL is Knocking on School Gates - Here’s What You Need to Know

2. 🏈 Touchdown Australia: The NFL’s Boldest International Move Yet

3. 🪙 Grant releases - What You Might Have Missed

4. 🏉 PitchUp Spotlight - See You at Magic Round!

NEWS
The AFL is Knocking on School Gates - Here’s What You Need to Know

When most people think about the AFL's relationship with schools, they think about Auskick clinics and junior competitions. The reality of what the AFL is building is considerably more ambitious; For school leaders, it represents a genuine opportunity worth understanding.

The AFL's Towards 2030 Plan is underpinned by three clear goals: build the capacity of community football, enhance elite state league and talent infrastructure, and drive innovation and growth. Schools sit at the intersection of all three - and the Australian Football Facilities Fund (AFFF) is the primary mechanism being used to make it happen on the ground.

The Scale of What's Being Built

Since 2017, the AFL has invested more than $130 million in partnership with local, state and federal governments, generating more than 3,500 venue network improvements across the country. AFL The ambition behind it is significant: with registered participation hitting record levels in 2025 and the game targeting 1 million participants by 2033, the AFL estimates it needs to create the equivalent of two new grounds every week to keep pace with participation growth.

That's not a number the AFL can hit without schools.

With nearly 3,000 women and girls football teams now participating across Australia, it has never been more important to ensure facilities are fit-for-purpose, meet evolving local community needs and enhance the football experience for all. School grounds contribute 15% of all AFL venues nationally and are increasingly central to the solution. AFL

The School and Innovative Ground Creation Program

This is where the opportunity for schools becomes concrete. The AFL has created a dedicated stream specifically for educational institutions: the School and Innovative Ground Creation Program, which sits within the broader Breaking New Ground framework of the AFFF.

The program seeks proposals from both private and public schools - alongside developers, local governments and other private landowners - who want to work in partnership with the AFL to support the provision of well positioned, welcoming, accessible, fit-for-purpose football facilities that create more opportunities for communities to be healthy and active.

The AFL's own data shows they need access to one new field every week for the next five years to meet demand - and staged, shared investment is identified as the key to success.

In practical terms, this means a school with a suitable oval, underutilised grounds or development potential can register an expression of interest, describe their proposal, outline existing infrastructure and identify how the site might engage with the AFL community. The application is deliberately accessible - it's an opening conversation, not a complex grant process.

State-Based Funds Add Further Depth

Beyond the national program, state-based funds reinforce the opportunity at a local level. In Queensland, the AFLQ Football Facilities Fund provides funding to assist local governments, grassroots community clubs, umpiring organisations and schools to develop AFL facilities. In South Australia, an $8 million partnership between SANFL, the State Government and the AFL prioritises all-gender changerooms, improved lighting and oval quality. In NSW, the fund specifically aims to increase the capacity of ovals and develop gender-neutral, welcoming and inclusive facilities for players and umpires.

The thread running through all of them is the same: staged and shared investment is the key to success, and when the AFL invests, significant projects and outcomes are delivered.

What a Partnership Actually Looks Like

The Melton Secondary College example, referenced in the AFL's own Preferred Facility Guidelines, is the clearest illustration of the model in action. A school that developed a full AFL standard synthetic oval, match lighting and changerooms that double as a satellite classroom during school hours - a facility used for up to 70 hours per week, serving both students and the surrounding community.

That's the outcome the AFL is actively trying to replicate and scale. For schools with suitable grounds, the combination of AFFF co-investment, state-based facility funding, and the revenue potential of community hire creates a genuinely compelling case for exploring what a partnership could look like.

The PitchUp team works closely with AFL contacts across the country and can help connect your school with the right people to explore whether your facilities qualify for AFFF or School and Innovative Ground Creation Program support. Reach out to [email protected] to start the conversation.

NEWS
Touchdown Australia: The NFL’s Boldest International Move Yet

NFL executives touched down in Australia earlier this month. They didn't just come with a press release and handshakes. They came with a plan.

The NFL Commissioner's visit - which took in both Melbourne and the Gold Coast -marked the most significant moment yet in the league's long-term play for the Australian market. And while the headline grabber was the September 2026 regular season game at the MCG, the more telling story is what surrounds it.

The NFL's first-ever regular season game in Australia will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2026, with the Los Angeles Rams as the designated team, as part of a multiyear commitment by the league to play regular season games in Melbourne. NFL On September 11, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will square off at the MCG - and when tickets went on sale, over 100,000 people jumped into the online queue simultaneously, selling out the Southern Hemisphere's largest stadium in minutes. Yardbarker

That number tells you everything about the latent demand. But the NFL isn't interested in selling out one stadium. It's interested in building a sport.

Every School. Every Child. Free.

During a youth flag football clinic on the Gold Coast, attended by more than 400 local kids, Commissioner Goodell announced a nationwide initiative to provide free flag football kits to all schools across Australia, with Queensland and Victoria receiving kits first. NFL Football Operations Each kit includes 12 flag belts, three footballs, and NFL Flag curriculum resources (pictured below). YSBR

The scale of the program's growth gives context to just how seriously the NFL is taking this. What started as a pilot program in just ten schools in 2022 has expanded to more than 500 schools and close to 100,000 students participating in state, national and international flag football tournaments. NFL Football Operations Last year, Australian students competed at the NFL Flag International Championships in the United States.

For school and community sport leaders, this is worth paying attention to. A fully resourced, curriculum-aligned program arriving free of charge - backed by the world's most commercially powerful sporting league - is not an opportunity that comes along often.

The Long Game: An Academy on the Gold Coast

The free kit distribution is the grassroots layer. The NFL Academy APAC - operated in partnership with A.B. Paterson College on the Gold Coast and servicing young athletes aged 12 to 18 across the Asia-Pacific region NFL - is the talent identification layer. The NFL Academy offers talented student athletes the opportunity to combine full-time education alongside intensive training in American football under the guidance of a world class coaching staff. NFL

The program is designed to yield results over 15 to 20 years, helping develop local talent and encouraging Australian children to engage with the NFL from the ground up. Yardbarker That's a generational investment, not a marketing activation.

What This Means for Australian Sport

The NFL's Australian strategy mirrors what it deployed in the UK. Start with a game, build grassroots programs, establish a permanent infrastructure presence, and let the cultural momentum do the rest. London hosted its first regular season game in 2007. Today it hosts multiple games annually and boasts one of the league's most passionate international fan bases.

Australia already has a growing fan base of 6.6 million NFL, and with flag football confirmed for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the sport's trajectory in this country is tied to something far bigger than a single game at the MCG.

For those of us watching the Australian sporting landscape evolve - the AFL's school partnerships, the Matildas infrastructure conversation, the surge in female participation across every code - the NFL's arrival is another data point in a broader story. International sporting organisations have identified Australian schools and Australian communities as the place where the next generation of sport is being built.

The question isn't whether the NFL is serious about Australia. The answer to that is already at the MCG in September. The question is whether Australia's sporting ecosystem is ready to meet it.

GRANTS
What You Might Have Missed 

Grants are a great way to contribute to school and community fundraising. It’s important to know what to look for, where to look and be prepared! PitchUp has put together resources for grant applications and will continue to compile these resources in each newsletter edition to make sure you don’t miss anything.

PitchUp Grant updates will cover:
- Public School Grants
- Private School Grants
- Education Grants
- Grants for sporting clubs

1. NSW | Preschools on Non-Government School Sites Program

Funding is available to build or upgrade preschools across at least 50 non-government school sites in NSW, spanning both independent and Catholic schools.

The program is designed to expand access to quality preschool education for families across the state — particularly in high-growth communities where demand continues to rise.

Eligible schools must:
• Provide primary education (primary or composite K–12 schools)
• Be located in high-growth areas
• Be assessed with consideration to socio-economic status, student demographics, and classification as a special purpose school

This initiative is focused on strengthening early education infrastructure where it’s needed most — supporting growing communities and improving access for young learners across NSW.

Applications close: Wednesday, 30 Sep 2026 - Get more info here

2. TAS | Active Clubs Program 2025–26

The 2025–26 Active Clubs Program provides a total funding pool of $815,000, with grants of up to $10,000 available to help clubs access safe, well-maintained equipment. Building on strong momentum from the previous year, the 2024–25 round saw 162 sport and active recreation projects statewide receive support to upgrade or replace equipment.

This program is designed to increase opportunities for sport and active recreation participation right across Tasmania — from equipment upgrades to facility improvements.

Eligible to: Clubs, not-for-profit organisations and local government entities delivering sport and active recreation opportunities to the Tasmanian community.

Applications: Open now — Get more info here

3. WA | Healthy Partnerships Funding (over $5,000) — Healthway

Healthway's Healthy Partnerships program provides funding to sport, arts and racing programs to help WA achieve good health now and into the future. The $5,000+ funding stream is designed for organisations seeking to deliver more substantial health-promoting initiatives through their sport or recreation programs.

Funding is prioritised toward health issues and population groups aligned to Healthway's Strategic Plan 2024–2029, and for most programs, applications are open year-round.

Eligible to: Sport, arts, racing and community organisations across Western Australia delivering projects that promote healthy environments and behaviours.

Applications: Open year-round — Get more info here

4. NSW | ClubGRANTS

ClubGRANTS is one of Australia's largest grant programs, providing more than $100 million in cash each year to a variety of worthy causes across NSW — with charities, sporting organisations and not-for-profit community groups among the tens of thousands of recipients funded through the program each year.

Funding is available across three categories:

• Category 1 — Community welfare, health services and support for disadvantaged groups

• Category 2 — General community development activities, including junior and grassroots sport and veteran welfare

• Category 3 — Up to $300,000 for sport and recreation infrastructure including pools, courts, playgrounds and multipurpose facilities

Eligible to: Not-for-profit community groups, charities and sporting organisations across NSW.

Applications: Vary by local government area — Get more info here

5. NSW | Capital Grants for Independent Schools — Independent Schools NSW

Independent Schools NSW administers both the Australian Government's Capital Grants Program (CGP) and the NSW Government's Building Grants Assistance Scheme (BGAS), delivering essential capital grants and funding for Independent schools across NSW. Each year, a fixed pool of funds is allocated for capital projects based on demonstrated educational need.

Under the BGSA, eligible non-government schools may apply for financial assistance for capital works, with funding directed toward areas of greatest need. Key eligibility criteria include:

• Must be registered with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)

• Must operate on a not-for-profit basis

• Must be affiliated with a Block Grant Authority

• Must demonstrate financial viability

• Must own the land or hold a lease commensurate with the grant repayment period

Funding is prioritised toward new schools and new capital developments undertaken to provide educational facilities for increased student enrolments, with the scheme also encouraging opportunities for shared community use of facilities.

Eligible to: Independent and Catholic non-government schools registered in NSW operating on a not-for-profit basis.

Applications close: 30 April annually — Get more info here

PITCHUP SPOTLIGHT
See You at NRL Magic Round🏉

PitchUp has been selected to present at the 2026 NRL Magic Round Tech Showcase on Friday 15 May in Brisbane Advance Queensland - one of a small group of SportsTech companies chosen to showcase to NRL executives, clubs and industry partners. We're proud to be in the room, and we'd love it even more if some of our PitchUp community were there too.

If you're heading to Magic Round or are in Brisbane that week, come find us and say hello - we're always up for a good conversation with the people who matter most to what we're building.

📍 Friday 15 May | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Heading along? Let us know at [[email protected]] - we'll look out for you!