Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton presented a certificate to Denim Auld who received a Local Sporting Champions grant to compete in the National Futsal Championships.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton has congratulated 19 young athletes from the electorate who have received financial assistance to fulfil their sporting dreams.

The young sportspeople from Breelong, Coolah, Coonamble, Condobolin, Dubbo, Gunnedah, Moree, Narrabri and Warialda have received grants of up to $750 to assist with the costs associated with participating in state, national and international sporting championships, under the Local Sporting Champions program.

Mr Coulton presented certificates to three of the athletes during a special afternoon tea in his Dubbo electorate office recently.

“Congratulations to Nate Vincent, Molly Fairey, Mikaela Whan, Mia Croker, Matilda Ward, Mary-May Townsend, Lorraine Townsend, Lachlan Cook, Joshua Fardell, Jacob Martin, Haylee-Anne Mooney, George Macrae, Ella Penman, Denim Auld, Damien Acres, Chloe Cameron, Brooklyn Kennedy, Ben Willner and Alex Matthews who are each kicking goals in their respective sporting endeavours,” Mr Coulton said.

“From athletics, rugby union, softball, futsal and soccer to motorcycling, motor sport, cross country and bowls, these talented young athletes each competed at the state, national and even international level, which is a fantastic achievement.

“They are excellent representatives of the Parkes electorate, and I’m pleased these grants helped them reach their sporting goals.

“We have a great deal of sporting talent here in the Parkes electorate, however many of our young sportspeople who compete at a representative level have to travel large distances to participate which can be very costly.

“This program greatly assists families to ensure their children can continue competing in the sport they love without worrying about the financial burden.”

Administered by the Australian Sports Commission, the Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged between 12 and 18 who are participating in state, national or international sporting championships.

Successful applicants will receive $500 to $750 to contribute towards associated costs, including travel, accommodation, uniforms and sporting equipment.

For more information about future rounds, visit sportaus.gov.au/grants_and_funding/local_sporting_champions

Local Sporting Champions Round 2 – 2024/25 recipients in the Parkes electorate:

Recipient	Town	Sport	Competition	Location
Nate Vincent	Condobolin	Athletics	CHS Athletics Championships 2024	Sydney Olympic Park, NSW
Molly Fairey	Breelong	Motorcycling	Aussie Flat Track Nationals	Northgate, QLD
Mikaela Whan	Narrabri	Softball	2024 NSWPSSA Girls Softball State Championships	Woolooware, NSW
Mia Croker	Narrabri	Athletics	Australian All Schools Championships Brisbane	Nathan, QLD
Matilda Ward	Moree	Rugby Union	NSW Rugby Union Youth State 7s State Championships	Tuncurry, NSW
Mary-May Townsend	Moree	Rugby Union	NSW Rugby Union Youth State 7s State Championships	Forster/Tuncurry, NSW
Lorraine Townsend	Moree	Rugby Union	NSW Rugby Union Youth State 7s State Championships	Forster/Tuncurry, NSW
Lachlan Cook	Coolah	Cross Country	2024 School Sport Australia Cross Country Championship	Yarra Glen, VIC
Joshua Fardell	Dubbo	Futsal	National Championships	Parkville, VIC
Jacob Martin	Gunnedah	Bowls	NSW All School Play Offs	North Geelong, VIC
Haylee-Anne Mooney	Dubbo	Football (Soccer)	FA National Youth Championships	Parkville, VIC
George Macrae	Coonamble	Rugby Union	NSW PSSA Primary Rugby Championship	East Wagga Wagga, NSW
Ella Penman	Dubbo	Athletics	World Under 20 Athletics Championships	Peru
Denim Auld	Dubbo	Futsal	FA National Futsal Championships	Parkville, VIC
Damien Acres	Warialda	Motor Sport	Australian SSA Junior Sedan Championship	Kingaroy, QLD
Chloe Cameron	Narrabri	Softball	2024 NSWPSSA Girls Softball State Championships	Woolooware, NSW
Brooklyn Kennedy	Moree	Rugby Union	NSW Rugby Union Youth State 7s State Championships	Tuncurry, NSW
Ben Willner	Dubbo	Rugby Union	NSW Rugby Union Youth State 7s State Championships	Forster, NSW
Alex Matthews	Dubbo	Rugby Union	NSW Rugby Union Youth State 7s State Championships	Forster, NSW