The Victorian Youth Polo Academy (VYPA) has worked tirelessly over the past two years to establish Melbourne's first permanent canoe polo facility on Edgewater Lake in Maribyrnong. The field has been installed in its new location, including the relocation of a pontoon by Parks Victoria to the site to help with water access, and the club is now fundraising to install boat storage and changing facilities on-site to allow members to access and use the field and increase the capacity for community programs to run at the field to continue to grow the sport in Melbourne's West.

VYPA has partnered with the Australia Sports Foundation (ASF) and is accepting donations, fundraising and sponsorship opportunities from local businesses and individuals. Any donations made through the ASF website are eligible for DGR status and are tax-deductible. With the end of the financial year approaching, we hope that many charitable businesses and individuals who are passionate about kayaking, or just grassroots community sport, may look to support our programs and help us continue to offer opportunities for children and local communities throughout Victoria.

The funds raised will go towards purchasing a 40 Foot Storage Container which will house 45 boats for club use and programs while also offering changing facilities and first aid adjacent to the field. Currently, the field is only able to be used by people who have their own equipment or by getting one of our team to drive the trailer of gear down to the field at scheduled times, which puts a lot of strain on our already busy volunteers. The container will allow members of the club to access boats in their own time for training and also greatly reduce the effort required to run programs on the field, allowing our volunteers and coaches to focus on what they do best and not burn them out with hours of loading and transporting boats back and forth.

The Victorian Youth Polo Academy (VYPA) is a not-for-profit association established in 2020 and run by volunteers. The academy facilitates grassroots canoe polo programs for local communities within Melbourne and Regional Victoria and since the start of 2021, we have had over 500 people participate in our sessions, many of which have been youth and university-aged players. With your support, we hope to continue to increase our program capacity to involve more people in a fun, social, and alternative sport in all corners of the state.