Directed at driving participation rates up and stigmas out, the program looks to shine a light on the issues women face within the sporting realm, while working towards creating a level playing field.
Last year served as a litmus test for how the region would receive such an initiative and will again hope to rattle the cage and force change.
“The program is in the second year of the pilot and, at this stage is funded until the end of September, but we hope to see continued investment in increasing female participation at all levels of sport and recreation well into the future, as any societal or cultural shift takes considerable time and effort to create positive change,” Valley Sports chief executive David Quinn said.
One of the program’s crucial aspects is a Women and Girls Sport and Recreation Checklist, a strategy aimed at challenging organisations to rethink and continually adapt their module to accommodate both genders equally.
“The checklist is a crucial element in getting a snapshot of where the club is at,” project officer Lucy Marino said.
“The program will then be tailored to sporting clubs, based on their vision, goals and individual club needs including an action plan that addresses areas of improvement for that club.
“By providing support for clubs to implement anything from leadership workshops and opportunities, governance and policy development or youth pathways for girls into senior sports, the program ensures clubs are being proactive in reaching their goals and making their organisation inclusive for all.”
Tied in to start alongside International Women’s Day, the surrounding principles of banding together and fighting for parity are vital in tipping the scale in terms of equality in a largely male-fluctuated domain such as sport.
“Championing women and girls in sport is incredibly important all year round but International Women's Day gives us the chance to celebrate all the amazing athletes, volunteers, committee members, coaches, umpires and supporters who work tirelessly for the sports they love and pave the way for future women and girls wanting to get involved,” Marino said.
“But it’s also a great opportunity to shine a light on the inequalities and barriers women face and acknowledge that we have a long way to go to.
“For example, Leadership at local sporting clubs have long standing role specific gender biases; three in four sport and recreation club presidents and vice-presidents are male and three in four club secretaries and treasurers are female.
“We want to break down these traditional gendered stereotypes and provide more opportunities for women to be key decision makers in leadership positions within sport.”
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