Volleyball NSW and Commonwealth Games NSW are proud to announce the 2021 male and female recipients of the CGNSW Athlete Grant Program totalling $1,000 each.

This year’s grant recipients were Jess Hunter & Charlie Beard who have both been standout athletes in NSW over the past two years. VNSW Head of Pathways Martin Reader shared “Both Jess and Charlie are dedicated to the sport and have been rising stars over the last two years. As regional athletes they have shown exceptional commitment playing both disciplines of the sport while making the most of every opportunity through positive attitudes and a love for the game. We are very proud of them and believe they both have bright futures ahead of them.”

Athletes were nominated by Volleyball NSW for being outstanding regional athletes in their age category while showing significant long term potential in Beach Volleyball. Previous recipients of this prestigious award are Stefie Fejes and Harley Sinclair who have both established themselves as great competitors in the Australian pathway.

CGNSW CEO Peter Tate said “These young athletes have demonstrated tremendous ability in their respective sport pathways. I have no doubt many will be chosen to represent Australia in future Commonwealth Games”.

This is the fourth edition of the CGNSW Athlete Grants which first commenced in 2016 with now 89 recipients over that period of time. This award provides financial assistance for young ‘up and coming’ NSW athletes. The program targets athletes that have not received significant funding from other peak bodies, eg AIS, NSWIS, NSWOC, state or national sporting bodies or via individual sponsorships. Nominating criteria requires each athlete to be a resident of NSW, be between 13-19 years of age and in the state’s high performance pathway.