AFL Victoria and Sports Central are delighted to have partnered on the delivery of the AFL Inclusive Clubs and Gender Equity Education Program, a collaborative initiative involving clubs from the AFL Goldfields region. This groundbreaking program aims to create safe, equal and respectful environments that encourage the participation of women and girls both on and off the field.
Program benefits:
- Safe and Inclusive Environments: The program supports clubs in creating communities where everyone feels safe and valued, leading to increased involvement by women and girls.
- Policy and Governance Review: Clubs receive assistance in updating their policies, governance structures, websites and social media to reflect inclusive practices.
- Community Initiatives: The program supports clubs in developing community-based initiatives to increase participation.
Program involvement:
The program’s comprehensive approach included two workshops and a webinar:
- Workshops: The first workshop, held on Tuesday 21st May, focused on gender equity and promoting women and girls in football. The second workshop, held on Monday 1st July, focused on the development of club action plans.
- Webinar: An online webinar supports further knowledge development and continuous learning for the clubs involved.
Participating clubs:
- Beaufort Football Netball Club
- Carngham Linton Football Netball Club
- Dunolly Football Netball Club
- Gordon Football Netball Club
- Sebastopol Football Netball Club
- Talbot Football Netball Club
Michael Flynn, Executive Officer from Sports Central, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We are very pleased to have partnered with AFL Victoria on such an important program. The first education workshop focused on gender equity and promoting women and girls in football. We worked with the clubs on understanding what it means to be an inclusive club and began assessing key areas such as governance, marketing and gender equity. Clubs completed their assessments before the second workshop, which focused on action plan development.”
Flynn also highlighted the contribution of Women’s Health Grampians, noting, “We are also very pleased that Women’s Health Grampians accepted our invitation to contribute to the first workshop. Our organisations have collaborated on several gender equity projects, and the clubs involved in the AFL Inclusive Clubs and Gender Equity Program will benefit enormously from their knowledge and insights.”
Jason Muldoon, AFL Goldfields Region Manager is pleased to have collaborated with Sports Central and Women’s Health Grampians to deliver the AFL Inclusive Clubs and Gender Equity Education Program in the AFL Goldfields region. “The willingness of clubs to create an environment that is safe, respectful and inclusive for everyone, but especially females are a high priority of the region. The region has experienced a significant growth of females playing the game, but also within roles at clubs. This important program is designed to create a sustainable women and girls football competition. We hope that the delivery of this program will open opportunities for female players, coaches and administrators across the AFL Goldfields region.”