Ōhope Beach Football Club have turned their grant for new equipment into an exciting recycling opportunity.

The club received a grant from the New Zealand Community Trust allowing them to purchase new shirts for all the club’s junior players.

Further grant money was used to purchase additional training equipment.

The club came up with the idea of turning the old shirts into boot bags, adding the club’s logo and the child’s name. The bags are being fashioned by a team of volunteers with some being sold at the club’s recent welcome event.

Community Resources Whakatāne business manager Gerard McCormack has donated kindling boxes as part of CReW’s  “Wood for Good” scheme to support the club in raising funds to pay for the project.

“The club’s senior team helped us out a few weeks ago with gardening, painting and cleaning the outside of our Te Tahi Street shop. It’s great to have the opportunity to support the clubs reuse of their old shirts and not have them being disposed into landfill,” he said.

Ōhope Beach Football Club President Jon Barnes said the club was proud to be reusing the old junior kits.

“It’s a sustainable initiative that reflects our commitment to community, creativity and the environment,” he said.

“With generous support from the New Zealand Community Trust, our players are stepping into the new season with brand new kits, and it’s fantastic to see the old ones given a second life while also helping us raise additional funds for the club.”

Their welcome day to kick off the season was a great success.

“We had a fantastic turnout and plenty of excitement from our junior players as they gear up for the season ahead,” he said.

The positive energy carried through to the senior players, sponsored by DB Plumbing Ōhope, who opened the season with an 8-0 win over Te Puke.