A club fence or ball netting upgrade gets funded in a set order: the land owner's permission first, then the council's view on approvals, then written quotes, then the application, and none of it should wait until the grant window opens.
If your club wants ball netting behind the goals or a fence around the ground, the next big state grant window is short. Clubgrants Category 3 Infrastructure Grants (sport and recreation) open on 1 February 2027 and close on 22 February 2027. By our count that's 22 days.
Three weeks isn't long to get a council's permission, a planning answer and a set of quotes. So the real work happens before February, not during it.
We set three NSW programs that fund club facilities side by side, and two things stand out. First, all three want the land owner's permission for fixed works: Clubgrants asks for land ownership or permission to use the land, the Local Sport Grant Program lists a Landowners Consent Form, and the Community Building Partnership counts fixed installations that need the land owner's permission. Second, their grant ranges barely touch. The Local Sport Grant Program tops out at $20,000 and Clubgrants starts at $50,000. That leaves a $30,000 gap, and only the Community Building Partnership, at $10,000 to $100,000, spans it.
The size of your job decides which grant you chase. Permission decides whether you can chase any of them.
Which grant suits the size of your fence job?
- Local Sport Grant Program (LSGP). The 2026/27 round offered $2,000 to $20,000 and listed "safety netting", lighting and scoreboards among its facility upgrade examples. It suits a modest netting or fencing job. Only incorporated not-for-profit clubs or associations affiliated with a State Sporting Organisation can apply. Councils, schools, for-profits and unincorporated groups can't. The program doesn't pay for feasibility, design or masterplan costs, and successful applicants must hold $5 million public liability cover.
- Community Building Partnership (CBP). The 2026 round ran from $10,000 to $100,000. It covers capital works that are fixed installations, but not vehicles or free-standing equipment. That matters if you were weighing portable goal-end nets against a fixed fence. Quotes are mandatory at $30,001 or more. The round used two stages: an expression of interest, then a detailed application if the local MP shortlisted it.
- Clubgrants Category 3. This is the big one, at $50,000 to $300,000 for outdoor organised sports facilities such as a football field or netball courts. Its recent recipients include field lighting and a sportsground redevelopment. The program page doesn't name ball netting, so read the guidelines when they're released and ask the program team before you build an application around netting alone. A fence that forms part of a wider field upgrade is the more natural fit for this round.
When do the windows open, close and report back?
Only one of the three windows is ahead of you. The LSGP 2026/27 round closed on 24 August 2026 at 1pm, with outcomes anticipated in December 2026. The CBP 2026 round closed on 8 May 2026, with outcomes anticipated in January 2027. Clubgrants Category 3 is listed as "Opening soon" for 1 to 22 February 2027.
If your club applied to the LSGP or CBP, the clock doesn't stop at the outcome. LSGP projects must finish by 30 June 2028, and CBP 2026 projects by 24 January 2028. Plan the build around those dates once a letter arrives.
Whatever you're waiting on, don't start work early. Clubgrants excludes work started before funding decisions are made, and the LSGP won't give retrospective funding for projects already commenced. For any future LSGP or CBP round, watch the program pages for dates instead of assuming last year's timing.
Who lodges the application when council owns the oval?
A club can't lodge a Clubgrants Category 3 application for a council-owned ground itself, because only local councils can apply for infrastructure they own and manage.
That changes who you talk to first. Not-for-profits that will operate or maintain the infrastructure can apply, but where the council owns and manages it, the council applies and must cash-match. The CBP also requires councils to match the grant in cash. A council can only match money it has planned for, which is one more reason to raise the project now, not in late January.
Club and council projects do happen locally. Perimeter fencing at Darling Street Oval, Hamilton South, was a club and council project, completed in February 2026.
The order that works: permission, approval, quotes, application
Here's the sequence we'd follow for any club fence or netting job going to a grant.
- Permission from whoever owns the land. That might be the council, a Crown reserve manager or a private owner. Every program above asks for it.
- The approval pathway, confirmed in writing. Clubgrants wants a development approval or complying development letter, or a letter or certificate showing a DA exemption.
- Written quotes. Clubgrants budgets should be "supported by quotes", and the CBP made quotes mandatory at $30,001 or more.
- Community support. Clubgrants accepts up to three community-support letters.
- Apply, then wait. No work before the decision.
Step three is where a fabricator comes in. An assessor reading your budget wants to see that each line came from someone who looked at the site and priced the actual job. At Chainwire Fencing Specialist, a written quote for a sporting fence or gate starts with the details in steps one and two: the land, the purpose and any approval conditions. The firmer those are, the closer the quote sits to what you'll eventually build.
What planning approval might the fence need?
| Who is doing the work, on what land | What the source says | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Council or public authority project | Can be development permitted without consent, but still needs a Review of Environmental Factors; some REFs must be published (e.g. cost over $5m) | Council |
| Structure on a Crown reserve | Installing a structure counts as development; the reserve manager checks zoning and permissibility, decides whether landowner's consent is deemed or written, and should consult council; heritage items and native vegetation clearing add approvals | Reserve manager and council |
| Clubgrants application on any land | Needs a DA or complying development letter, or a letter or certificate showing a DA exemption | Council |
| Whether your netting or fence needs consent is your council's call. | ||
The answer depends on who is doing the work and whose land it's on. Your council makes the call for your site.
- Council-led projects. Work carried out by councils or public authorities can be "development permitted without consent", but still needs a Review of Environmental Factors. Some REFs must be published, for example where the project costs more than $5m. Lake Macquarie's Harold Knight Sports Complex in Gateshead was approved under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007, and its works included new sports field fencing.
- Crown reserves. Many grounds sit on Crown land. There, installing a structure counts as "development", and the reserve manager must check zoning and permissibility, work out what form landowner's consent takes (deemed or in writing), and consult the council. Heritage items and native vegetation clearing add extra approvals.
If you need to know what consent ball netting or a new fence needs on your ground, that's a question for your council, asked early and answered in writing. Our page on council permits for fence installation in Newcastle covers the general ground.
What documents should be ready before the window opens?
For Clubgrants Category 3, the pack comes down to a handful of papers, all listed on the program page:
- DA or complying development letter, or evidence of a DA exemption
- Land ownership, or written permission to use the land
- Up to three community-support letters
- A budget supported by quotes
Two eligibility checks sit alongside them. Organisations or businesses that may realise a commercial gain can't apply, and nothing can have started on site. If a council is the applicant, the club's job is usually to help assemble the support letters and the scope.
Perimeter fence, pitch fence or ball netting: what Hunter grounds are doing
- Perimeter fencing. Around the whole ground boundary, with gaps for public paths and a maintenance gate. Example: perimeter fencing at Darling Street Oval, Hamilton South, a club and council project completed in February 2026 (Newcastle Herald).
- Strategic pitch fence. Around the playing surface only, leaving the outer grass open. Example: pitch fences floated by Newcastle Football as a pilot (Newcastle Herald).
- Ball netting. A tall line behind each goal, facing the street and car park. Example: safety netting listed as an LSGP facility upgrade example (NSW Government).
Fencing is part of this year's Hunter upgrades. The Newcastle Herald's list of 23 Hunter sports facilities set for upgrades includes perimeter fencing at Darling Street Oval, "new fencing" at Fred Harvey Sports Complex, Woodberry, which was listed as due in June, and a Kurri Kurri netball facility that includes fencing.
Fencing a whole ground is also contested. In July 2026, Newcastle clubs and a Wallsend MP launched a petition for fencing and CCTV against vandalism and vehicle damage at council sportsgrounds. City of Newcastle said fencing grounds "contradicted" its commitment to accessible, inclusive facilities, and that the community opposed fencing at Regent Park, New Lambton.
A middle option has been floated. Newcastle Football suggested "strategic pitch fences" around playing surfaces as a pilot. That would protect the pitch while leaving the rest of the reserve open. Ball netting behind goals is narrower again: it targets where balls leave the ground, not who enters it.
Our view is that each of these solves a different problem, and the council, as land owner, decides which one fits its ground. A club arguing for one should be clear about which problem it's solving. For more on the planning side, see our guide to sports field fencing.
Questions to settle before you ask for a quote
A useful quote answers a clear brief. Before you contact any fabricator, get your committee and council to agree on these:
- Who owns the land? Council, Crown reserve, school or the club itself. This decides who applies and who signs consent.
- Consent or an REF? Ask the council which pathway applies and what paperwork it will give you.
- What is the fence for? Stopping balls reaching a road, car park or backyards. Keeping vehicles off the playing surface. Marking out a pitch. The purpose shapes the height and the layout.
- Fixed or free-standing? The CBP funds fixed installations but not free-standing equipment, so the choice can affect eligibility.
- Who still needs to get through? Mowers and maintenance vehicles, walkers using the reserve, emergency access. Gates go where people and machines already move.
- Who lives next door? Neighbours and other park users may write a support letter, or may object. Better to know early.
If vehicle damage is the problem, gates and bollards may sit alongside a fence. Chainwire Fencing Specialist also handles light steel and aluminium fabrication, including bollards.
The whole plan on one page
Clubgrants Category 3
$50,000 to $300,000
- 1 Feb 2027 to 22 Feb 2027
- budgets supported by quotes
LSGP 2026/27
$2,000 to $20,000
- outcomes anticipated December 2026
- projects finish by 30 June 2028
CBP 2026
$10,000 to $100,000
- outcomes anticipated January 2027
- quotes mandatory at $30,001 or more
- completion 24 Jan 2028
Three programs, three ranges, one shared rule. Clubgrants Category 3 offers $50,000 to $300,000, open 1 to 22 February 2027. The LSGP 2026/27 offered $2,000 to $20,000, with projects to finish by 30 June 2028. The CBP 2026 offered $10,000 to $100,000, with quotes mandatory at $30,001 or more. Get the land owner's permission first, and start nothing on site before the decision.
Your next step: a written quote for the application
Once your club has the land owner on side and a clear answer on approvals, send us the site details and what the fence or netting needs to do. Chainwire Fencing Specialist builds sporting fencing, chainwire, steel and aluminium fencing and gates across Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and the Central Coast. A written quote from us can sit in your budget the way the assessors ask for it.
You can request a fencing quote here or call 02 4023 5416. If you're pulling the details together for a committee or council officer, our pre-quote checklist helps you gather them in one go.
Sources
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/clubgrants-category-3-fund/clubgrants-infrastructure-sport
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/local-sport-grant-program-lsgp-2026/27
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/community-building-partnership/community-building-partnership-2026
- https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/part-5
- https://www.crownland.nsw.gov.au/reserve-manager/managing-reserves/managing-assets-and-infrastructure/building-and-development
- https://www.lakemac.com.au/Projects/Harold-Knight-Sports-Complex
- https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/9178756/the-23-hunter-sports-facilities-set-for-upgrades-this-year/
- https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/9312080/sonia-hornery-mp-launches-petition-for-newcastle-field-security/
Pictures in this guide are illustrations, not photos of our jobs.