Yarra Ranges Athletics is jumping into the new season with a $4500 grant from Coles to support little athletes and community volunteers.
The club was one of 72 grassroots Little Athletics Centres across Australia announced this week as a successful recipient of the 2025 Coles Little Athletics Community Fund who will share in $250,000 to purchase much-needed sports, safety and volunteer equipment.
Yarra Ranges Athletics will use their grant to buy new hurdles and marquee weights, which club president Max Savill-Bentley said will help volunteers deliver a fun, safe and quality program for young athletes.
“As our club continues to grow in athlete numbers, volunteer participation, and school bookings, it is crucial to have the right equipment to meet these increasing demands,” he said.
“The new hurdles will not only provide a better competition experience for our athletes but also ensure a safer and quicker setup for our volunteers between races. Additionally, the metal leg weights for our marquees are crucial to the safety and wellbeing of our members.”
The grant comes as Little Athletics Australia revealed a 16 per cent jump in participation over the past 12 months, with the biggest increase recorded in the Little Athletics Tiny Tots program for three to five-year-olds, which rose by 33 per cent. In the past five seasons, Little Athletics has grown by more than 40 per cent to over 96,000 Aussie kids and a further 74,000 community volunteers, coaches and officials, making it one of the most participated junior sports programs in Australia.
A significant contributor to this surge in participation was Australia’s success at the Paris Olympics, which represented the third-highest post-Olympics growth in the past 40 years (behind London 2012 and Sydney 2000). And now, with a home Olympic Games on the horizon, Coles is backing Little Athletics for a further three years by renewing its partnership with the iconic Australian sporting program.
Little Athletics Australia chief executive officer Myles Foreman said Little Athletics is well-positioned to maintain its growth with recent successes on and off the track and field.
“Grassroots Little Athletics Centres are the heartbeat of our sport. The sustained upward trend in participation over the past five years is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our 74,000 volunteers across the country, as well as the ongoing efforts of our State and Territory Member Associations who deliver quality programs to thousands of young athletes,” he said.
“Our partnership extension with Coles for a further three years will also help Little Athletics to continue this momentum with resources and opportunities for children of all ages, including our youngest athletes through the Coles Little Athletics Tiny Tots program.”
Coles Acting Group Corporate and Indigenous Affairs Officer Jace Armstrong said Coles is extremely proud of its long-standing partnership with Little Athletics.
“Coles’ partnership with Little Athletics is built on mutual values and goals to help kids and local communities thrive and grow. Since 2017, Coles has donated more than six million bananas and over $2.8 million in sports equipment grants to help kids stay fit and be active. We’re excited to play a role in fostering the next generation of Australian athletes for another three years,” he said.
In addition to providing equipment grants to grassroots centres, Coles is also raising funds for Little Athletics through its annual Banana A-Peel, a national fundraiser whereby five cents from every kilo of Cavendish bananas sold at Coles until 21 October will be donated to Little Athletics.
