General News
26 June, 2025
SPECIAL REPORT: Wind farm speculators rush to sponsor clubs
By CHRIS EARL NEW energy players are jumping on the bandwagon of sports clubs. In the modern era when weekly Friday night chook and a bottle raffle at hotels fall well short of putting enough cash in the kitty to pay Saturday afternoon on-field...
By CHRIS EARL
NEW energy players are jumping on the bandwagon of sports clubs.
In the modern era when weekly Friday night chook and a bottle raffle at hotels fall well short of putting enough cash in the kitty to pay Saturday afternoon on-field stars, speculative renewable energy companies are helping bolster the coffers.
Boort’s football and netball clubs now have the Meering West wind farm project as a major sponsor.
The Magpies are on a par with other North Central League clubs. Their salary cap this season is $106,600 but players are just a fraction, a significant one, in costs facing country clubs.
Step in companies wanting to establish a footprint in the area.
Meering West is this year classed as a major sponsor. It’s signs are at the entrance to Boort Park and on the football and netball fences, the project’s logo on player shorts.
The emergence of new energy sponsors has divided some communities. Navarre, in the Maryborough Castlemaine Football, League this season walked away from an agreement with speculative wind company Neoen after 12 months of a “Titanium” sponsorship agreement.
But while Boort president Craig Scott says there have been some questions from outside the club about accepting sponsorship from a potentially controversial wind farm project, the decision to sign on Meering West was made after committee discussion.
“The possibility of the company coming on board was put to us by one of the landowners involved in the project,” he said.
“We know it could be touchy with some people but in the end we took the view that there will be people for this and people who are not.”
Scott said the three-year sponsorship would be kept under review “and it’s something we will continue to gather information about”.
He said clubs struggled for volunteers and fundraising.
“It (the Meering West sponsorship) does help,” Scott said.
Virya Energy, developer of the Meering West Wind Farm said: “Meering West Wind Farm is committed to the support of local clubs, services and events throughout the lifecycle of the project.
“Communities and project landholders expect infrastructure projects to bring benefits to the broader area, and we agree.
“Supporting local community clubs, events and services that have sought sponsorship is just the beginning of this.
“There are no expectations placed on clubs or events sponsored by the project. Meering West Wind Farm is open to more suggestions on how it can assist local communities and is considering additional support.”
Meering West also has Boort Yando Cricket Club on its list of Loddon Shire sponsorships.
Again, according to club president David Rees, the offer was instigated through a farmer involved in the project.
Rees said the three-year deal was inked after talks with club members and the package had meant improvement for facilities available to members.
“It’s not up to us to decide whether the project is good, bad, or indifferent,” Rees said.
Critics of renewable companies sponsoring sporting groups have claimed money should not be taken from potentially divisive projects.
Industry specialists have told the Loddon Herald that landowner connection with football clubs is part of stakeholder identification and seen as a way for companies to be involved in communities.
Boort Bowling Club has been supported for the past two years by mining exploration company Falcon Metals. That company wants to continue testing for mineral sand deposits at Mysia where some landowners are refusing access for testing.
There had been reports that a sponsorship sign on the bowling club fence has been vandalised twice in the last month.
Falcon’s managing director Tim Markwell said; “Generally, Falcon is approached by community members, usually landholders we meet. Sponsorships help the community to understand who we are and what we do.
“We have only supported clubs and groups that have approached us for sponsorship,” Markwell said.
A new player in the wind farm game in Loddon communities, European Energy, has been asking potential host landowners about their involvement in sporting clubs and offering the carrot of sponsorship, multiple farmers told the Loddon Herald.
But as Craig Scott said: “It’s not for (our) football club to be taking a view on whether property owners should take up wind turbines.”
Loddon clubs and towns are now at the start of an unfolding conversation on renewable energy projects and the value of the sponsorship dollar they say is vital for survival.