ACT Meteors point to GWS Giants funding in hope of bridging the financial support gap

The announcement of a $28 million, 10-year contract between the GWS Giants and government has put funding firmly in the spotlight in recent days.

The size of the Giants deal has revealed a significant discrepancy in money provided to the region's sports teams.

The ACT Meteors receive $33,000 a year, with Canberra United and the Capitals each handed $125,000.

The figures pale in comparison to the new agreement with the Giants worth $2.8 million per year for the next 10 seasons.

The ACT government also has a contract with the Sydney Thunder to play in Canberra. It's understood the deal is significantly larger than what the Meteors receive.

Cricket ACT is currently locked in discussions with the government regarding funding for a new Sheffield Shield team, with hopes the side will be welcomed to the competition within the next three to four years. The talks have also surrounded plans for a new centre of excellence.

The organisation has pointed to the money spent on grassroots sport and developing the next generation of elite athletes.

While the Giants and Thunder provide a short-term boost each time they play in the ACT, Canberra-based teams have a responsibility to invest in the long-term sustainability of their sports. It's an investment, they argue, that benefits the entire territory and ensures money remains within the region rather than flowing out to Sydney.

Cricket ACT has been active in its search for sponsors in recent years to help cover the funding gap and a number of new partners have signed on.

Kane Constructions are in their first season as a sponsor and general manager Jo Farrell said it was time for the government to adequately fund women's sport in Canberra.

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"The investment needs to be made," Farrell said.

"The athletes are doing the work, it's time we get behind them. If you look at the growth of the AFLW, there's a groundswell of support from young families, so that's a market to do it. It takes a bit of bravery and courage to start pushing that first off the line.

"Businesses like ourselves can start to drive it, but everybody else has to get behind it as well. These girls are role models, they're doing their best to achieve success so we need to support them."

The Meteors are aware of the lack of resources compared to WNCL rivals, NSW and Victoria boasting state-of-the-art facilities. The NSW government recently contributed $30 million to a new home of cricket.

While aware the Meteors don't boast the profile of other teams in Canberra, senior players have been left frustrated by the disparity between sports in the region.

"It's disheartening. The Meteors have been a first-class team for a number of years. We'd love to be backed by Canberra and the government," captain Katie Mack said.

"It's what turns you from semi-professional to professional. It turns you into a high-performance organisation. We probably need a little bit more funding to really classify ourselves as high-performance.

"In saying that, the girls have done really well with what we have here. There's no complaints from us. We know results are down to our hard work."

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