The Westside BMX Club in Balcatta was given a $30,000 Federal Government grant earlier this week, which will be used for lighting upgrades to improve safety for riders.  

Westside BMX Club president Kishani Green said the club applied for the grant through the Australian Institute of Sport.

“Our lighting is getting pretty dim and it has been for a little while now, so we wanted to amp that back up just for riders’ safety and in the hope we can get some bigger night events later down the track,” she said.

Ms Green was joined on Tuesday night by the federal member for Stirling, Michael Keenan, who will not be contesting the upcoming election.

“I took them for a bit of a tour around the track. I showed them what we’ve got, what our plans are, explained to them how we run as a club, the sport of BMX and why the lights are so crucial for what we do there,” Ms Green said.

The Liberal Candidate for Stirling, Vince Connelly, said he was pleased the Federal Government funding had been given to the Balcatta track.

“The lighting upgrade will help Westside BMX Club to capitalise on its existing facilities and deliver a more appealing track for new members to come and join the action,” he said.

Westside BMX Club opens every Tuesday night for practice, and racing starts on Fridays from 7.30 pm, where Ms Green said the club can have between 80 and 100 riders on the track.

At 24, Ms Green is the youngest BMX Club president in Western Australia.

She said she was excited about the grant and hoped the lighting upgrades would be finished within the next 12 months.

“We’ve been working with a local lighting company for a while now to get the best possible lighting for what we want to do,” she said.