North Perth Cricket Club eligible for up to $250,000 in turf subsidies

North Perth Cricket Club Inc can receive up to $50,000 a season towards turf-wicket costs at Charles Veryard Reserve, under a subsidy agreement that can run for no more than five years.

The City of Vincent subsidy will cover no more than 50 per cent of the club’s total seasonal turf-wicket expenditure. If the full annual cap is reached over five seasons, the arrangement could provide up to $250,000 in total support.

The subsidy amount is to be included in the City’s annual budget for the period of the agreement. It is not an automatic $50,000 payment, because the club must first incur seasonal turf-wicket expenditure and the subsidy cannot exceed half that cost.

Councillors voted 8-0 to delegate authority to Chief Executive Officer David MacLennan to negotiate and finalise the Turf Wicket Subsidy Agreement with the club. The agreement is to be executed under the City’s Execution of Documents Policy.

Cr Con Poulios moved the motion and Cr Nicole Woolf seconded it. Cr Poulios left at 7.30pm because of a previously declared financial interest, after the subsidy vote had been taken.

The arrangement provides North Perth Cricket Club with a defined funding framework for turf wickets at the reserve, while limiting the City’s annual exposure to $50,000. Grounds contractors and sporting organisations involved in the facility’s seasonal turf-wicket work will operate within the expenditure covered by the agreement.

The CEO’s delegated authority is limited by the approved terms: the agreement cannot exceed five years, the subsidy cannot exceed 50 per cent of seasonal expenditure, and the annual payment cannot exceed $50,000.

Charles Veryard Reserve is the North Perth facility covered by the agreement. The funding will be considered through the City’s annual budgets across the agreement period.