The Get Active Kids Voucher Program gives eligible Victorian families up to $200 per child towards sport. Your child must be aged 0 to 18, live in Victoria, and be named on a current Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card as well as a Medicare card. Applications for the next round open during September 2026.
Written by Cameron James, founder and head coach at Liddicoat Basketball. Over a decade coaching junior basketball in Melbourne, including at Big V level, and rep teams from Under 12s through to Under 18s.
Last updated August 2026.
The Victorian Government runs the Get Active Kids Voucher Program to take some of the cost out of organised sport. An eligible child can receive up to $200.
It is not only membership fees. The voucher can go towards registration and membership, uniform, and equipment. For a basketball family that is the association registration, the playing singlet, and a decent pair of shoes, which between them are most of what a first season actually costs.
The money does not come to you as cash. Depending on how you apply it either goes to the provider against your fees or comes back as a reimbursement for money you have already spent. Keep your receipts either way.
There are four tests and your child has to pass all of them. They must be aged 0 to 18. They must be a resident of Victoria. They must be named on a current Australian Government Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card. And they must be named on a valid Medicare card.
The card requirement is the one that catches people out. It is not enough for a parent to hold the card. The child has to be listed on it. If you are not sure, check the card itself before you start an application.
Worth saying plainly: if you do not hold one of those concession cards, this program is not for you. That is not a judgement, it is just how it is targeted, and it is better to know now than after you have filled in a form.
Applications for the next round open during September 2026. As of late August the exact date had not been published, which is the single most useful thing on this page: if you want one, you need to be watching for it rather than waiting to hear about it.
The rounds run to a pattern and it is a tight one. The previous round opened on Tuesday 3 March 2026 and closed at midday on Monday 30 March, and the vouchers themselves expired on Wednesday 29 April 2026. That is roughly four weeks to apply and about a month to spend it.
Rounds have also closed early in the past when the allocation runs out. Treat the closing date as a deadline you should be nowhere near, not a target.
The awkward part is that the voucher rounds and the basketball calendar do not line up neatly. Domestic seasons and VJBL tryouts run to their own timetable, and a voucher round opening in September sits right next to October tryouts.
The practical answer is to apply for the voucher when the round opens rather than waiting to see whether your child gets a rep spot. The voucher covers domestic registration and uniform perfectly well, so it is useful whichever way the tryout goes.
Check with your association before you apply, because they need to be a registered provider for the voucher to be applied against your fees. Most established Victorian associations are. Ask the registrar, not the coach.
Up to $200 per eligible child, which can go towards membership and registration fees, uniform, or equipment.
No. Your child must be named on a current Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, and on a valid Medicare card, as well as being aged 0 to 18 and living in Victoria.
The next round opens during September 2026. The exact date had not been published as at late August 2026, so watch the Get Active Victoria site rather than waiting for an announcement.
Equipment is covered by the program, so gear generally qualifies. Confirm what your specific application covers before you spend, because the voucher has an expiry date.
Next questions parents ask
Every competition in this guide
Facts on this page were compiled from the official sources below and written up in our own words. Dates, fees and venues change every season, so confirm anything you are relying on with the association directly.
This page was last updated August 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
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