Sports Central has partnered with VicHealth and Regional Sport Victoria to showcase the Ballarat District Golf – MyGolf Girls Squad.
The MyGolf Girls Squad is delivered by Ballarat District Golf with support from its affiliated clubs, Ballarat Junior Golf Academy, Golf Australia, Sports Central, Victorian Golf Foundation, WestVic Academy of Sport and VicHealth, and aims to drive participation for girls predominantly aged 11 to 17.
The program is designed to be fun, safe, non-intimidating and affordable, providing squad members with:
- The opportunity to play regularly together
- Access to expert coaching
- Playing uniforms
- The opportunity to compete in Ballarat District Golf and Golf Australia junior competitions
- A pathway to the WestVic Academy of Sport and Golf Australia programs
The ongoing success of the MyGolf Squad has been achieved by identifying and addressing the barriers for girls to participate, which include:
- Family support – Logistics, transport, organisation, on-course supervision, etc.
- Very few or no peers to practice and play with, and to offer support and encouragement
- Time constraints due to academic activities, social activities and paid employment
- Other sporting commitments
- Very few or no role models to look up to
“Through the MyGolf Girls Squad we now have a core group of girls who really are golfers and look forward to going to golf and meeting their friends. It is very difficult for young girls to just decide they want to play golf if there are no groups to be attached to,” said Ballarat District Golf – Junior Coach and PGA Teaching Professional Andrew Cartledge.
VicHealth is a long-term partner of Sports Central, and this program is a great example of implementing the Doing Sport Differently principle 2 – Think about participants as customers and consider their total experience. You can find out more about the Doing Sport Differently principles here.
“We want everyone to feel comfortable and welcome to be active in their community. VicHealth is excited to support Sports Central to provide more diverse and social activities in the Central Highlands,” said VicHealth CEO Dr Sandro Demaio.
To find out more about the participation programs supported by Sports Central, contact us on 5331 6966.