What did you tell them it was for?
Grant 1: $5000 for player fees subsidy under their "Sport Access" stream
Grant 2: $1000 for coach and referee training support under "Sport Development"
I also applied for 2 other grants:
$2000 - fund some jerseys, but accidentally put it under "Sport Access" so had to cancel that one as you're only allowed one category per year.
$1000 - training gear. Can't remember what I put this under but never heard anything else about it, so assume it was rejected.
Don't get me wrong applying for grants to subsides fees is great if you manage to get the funds through, But what happens when it doesn't?!
You make good points. As a counterpoint I'd say: go and look at this page
https://sport.nsw.gov.au/sectordevelopment/grants/localsport/recipients
Southern $17K
Hills Rugby $11K
Waverley $7K
Campelltown Harlequins $7K
Two Blues $7k
Eastwood $5k
Epping $5k
Hornsby $5k
Emus $5k (junior rep teams, not seniors I believe)
Lane Cove $4750
Norths $1775
The moral: you don't ask, you don't get. And if you use the grant money to poke rego right down, then have to jack it back up the next year with no financial plan behind it, the people in charge probably aren't the brightest.
We're going to finish this year on a positive cash balance for the first time in ages. That includes our regular donation to the Kids Hospital ($5K + $1500 from our charity day), free buses for 5 of our 7 away games, and $30 rego (shorts and socks i.e. free rego).
We're definitely not doing $30 rego next year, because it didn't produce the results we wanted in terms of player recruitment. We probably could have sustained that financially even without the grants, but would have been at zero balance starting next year.
There were many factors in that, but mainly that we'd ordered for 60 players last year, and only had about 25, so a lot of kit was left over. Additionally we didn't need any training or ground gear, hydration kit, or much beyond strapping tape and physio hire, really. I bought 1 set of jerseys. That was it, as we had new jerseys last year.
Sponsorship for our club was probably bigger per player than most as well. And because Council gives us the shittiest of shit facilities, we don't pay much for that, either.
Canteen makes a modest amount, and only because the guy running it is the best customer!