Wests Illawarra, which helps create pathways for increased female participation in sports, proudly featured Holly and Georgi Hurford of the Wests Illawarra Hockey Club in its latest TV ad. Photos: Wests Illawarra.
When Elliot Ashby looks out over the turf at the Wests Illawarra Hockey Club, he sees more than just juniors with sticks and shin pads. He sees generations of community spirit in motion.
“I’ve been part of this club my whole life. My dad is a life member, I played, my kids now play here, and I’ve been coaching juniors for nine years,” the junior coordinator and coach says.
“There’s a strong sense of family and community built around the club — you feel you belong to something.
“People need that. They need passions and connections in their lives, and sport is a good vehicle for that. I’ve seen what the sport, our coaches and the club community have done for my family and others over the years. That’s what has kept me around.”
That sense of community — and Wests Illawarra’s investment in it — was recently recognised on a statewide stage, with the club taking out the Fostering Grassroots Sport category at the 2025 ClubsNSW Clubs & Community Awards.
The award honours Wests Illawarra’s long-standing support of junior and senior local sport — from hockey to rugby league, cricket to darts — under its Community Strong program.
Through this initiative the club is championing sport as a vehicle for wellbeing, opportunity and resilience — especially for young people.
In 2024 alone, Wests Illawarra contributed almost half a million dollars to 16 local sporting and social clubs, helping fund equipment, coaching, grounds maintenance and travel costs for qualifying players to represent NSW and Australia in their sport.
It’s also helped keep the playing costs low, so everyone can have a go.
“Hockey is an expensive sport, and without Wests Illawarra as a major sponsor, our club just couldn’t operate,” Elliot says. “People would walk away from the sport, and we wouldn’t be able to incubate the amazing talent we have.”
That talent is already on the national stage. Two of the club’s juniors, Thomas Miotto and Josh Gregory, currently play for NSW Pride and recently represented Australia at the Indoor World Cup in Croatia.
But Wests Illawarra’s impact extends well beyond the elite level. From pathways for increased female participation to record-breaking team registrations, the funding is making sport more accessible and more inclusive.
“Supporting sport is part of our DNA,” Wests Illawarra CFO Renata Garnero says. “It was written into our constitution nearly 70 years ago to foster rugby league and other kindred sports. Today, we support clubs big and small, helping hundreds of kids and adults across the region stay active, connected and supported.”
The data shows Community Strong is meeting its objectives. The funding has helped expand women’s cricket by 333 per cent, thanks to a new women’s league, and saw Unanderra Hearts Football Juniors grow from 382 to 547 registered players in just one year, with 148 girls now playing across 52 teams. The Kembla Joggers saw a 25 per cent jump in Athletics NSW event participation, and even the Wests Darts Club has doubled its teams, showing that community support doesn’t only come in cleats and shin pads.
“The TV ad we have out at the moment features Holly and Georgi Hurford, two girls on our hockey team selected to represent the state,” Renata says. “It’s wonderful to see increased female participation in some of these sports.”
At Wests Illawarra Hockey Club, the results are tangible. Last year, the juniors were crowned Illawarra under 16 champions, and the under 18s reached the grand final. The entire junior program — now with seven teams ranging from under 8s to under 18s — continues to thrive.
This success proves what Renata has always known — that “Community Strong” is more than a slogan, it’s a north star.
“At Wests, we believe sport has the power to unite communities, build resilience — in particular in younger participants — and help shape the future generations,” she says.
“We’re actively invested in fostering strong sporting cultures in all the teams we support and giving accessibility to people as well, by helping clubs keep their registration fees low.
“Whether it’s helping a young cricketer take their first swing at bat, ensuring a talented netballer competes in representative squads, or backing a rugby league player as they work towards an NRL career, our commitment to sport is about ensuring that every child who wants to play has the chance to do so.”
That vision — and the broad scope of Wests Illawarra’s support — helped secure its win at the ClubsNSW Awards.
“The competition was tough, and we were so humbled to be winners among the other wonderful clubs supporting sports in communities across NSW,” Renata says. “Our partnerships mean children engaged in sport can dream big – and some already are, with many of our juniors going on to represent NSW and Australia in their sport.”
For more information visit Wests Illawarra.
