Local footy players will soon have access to safer game day equipment with the installation of three new sets of goal posts at Stanthorpe United Redbacks Football Club.

The different sized posts will ensure players of all ages are well catered for, with funding provided by Queensland Country Credit Union’s Good for Good Community Grants.

Community groups across Queensland were invited to apply for a share of $100,000 to fund a particular project, with successful applicants ranging from an emergency helicopter landing pad for an isolated town, to a road safety training track for young cyclists.

President of Stanthorpe United Brian Westerhout said the club community was relieved they could replace the current goal posts, which had become dangerous.

“The goals have faced normal wear and tear, combined with some damage experienced last season when an opposition player ran into a goal post and broke the upright,” he said.

Mr Westerhout explained that football in Stanthorpe was unique, with five clubs surviving in this small rural area, compared with one club in Warwick - a town 65 kilometres away with more than double the population.

“This is mainly due to the hard work of the many, many volunteers who acknowledge the ongoing health, social and community benefits the game provides locally,” he said.

“It’s so important that we continue to build strong, well supported clubs to ensure the long term sustainability of football within the local area, and projects such as this, that address areas of safety and the provision of accredited equipment, go a long way,” he said.

An element of Queensland Country Credit Union’s Good for Good Community Grants involves the concept of paying it forward, with grant recipients expected to fundraise 10% of their grant amount for Ronald McDonald House Charities. That fundraising will be boosted with an additional $20,000 donation from Queensland Country.

Queensland Country CEO Aileen Cull said her team was proud to give back to the community in a tangible way.

“We received 64 applications from not-for-profit groups around the state, who were seeking funding of between $5,000 and $30,000 to get their important projects off the ground,” Ms Cull said.

“It was really heart-warming to see how much good is being done at a grass-roots level in our communities,” she said.

“Choosing the grant recipients was a difficult challenge for our judging committee, but ultimately the winners were chosen based on the genuine benefits their projects would bring to the community, as well as their ability to pay it forward, or do ‘good for good’ by fundraising for our community partner.”

This is the first year that Queensland Country has run the Good for Good program, and follows a long history of supporting local initiatives.

“We have injected $2 million into community projects since 2005,” Ms Cull said.

“It’s all part of our difference as a customer owned banking organisation. Without shareholders to worry about, we can invest our profits into local communities while providing the best possible products and services to our Members.”