The Gippsland League is among the 104 recently announced community sporting organisations set to benefit from the 2022-23 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program.
Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program offers grants of up to $10,000 for initiatives that foster participation, build capability, and celebrate women and girls in sport with this year’s funding split into three streams; Attract and Participate, Capability and Leadership, and Celebrate and Elevate.
Football Victoria’s GO Soccer Mums program, offering weekly social, non-competitive soccer to females 15 years and older, and Volleyball Victoria’s monthly women-focused coaching development program to build confidence, technical skills and leadership for women volleyball coaches, are among the activities and initiatives that have been funded through the Community Activation Grants Program.
More than $2 million in funding has been delivered to community sports organisations since the program’s inception in 2018 as part of the government’s $18.8 million investment in the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation and Change Our Game initiative.
Gippsland League received a grant of $10,000 under the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program stream Celebrate and Elevate, which will support Gippsland League’s female athletes through various initiatives such as weekly netball video content and the Change Our Game League-wide theme round.
In the Round 16 split round, Gippsland League will host the Change Our Game theme round across five match days as part of the league’s overall Showcasing Women in Sport campaign.
The feature match days in both weeks of Round 16 between Morwell and Sale, and Traralgon and Bairnsdale will run additional activations to engage women with the Change Our Game messaging and celebrate female participants.
From Round 11, the Gippsland League will introduce the first weekly video content of female netball in the Gippsland region, filming at least one A Grade netball match each week in addition to the Optus Match of the Month to begin to align netball with local male football coverage.
Gippsland League general manager Daniel Heathcote said the sporting organisation aims to be a leader in the gender equality space.
“Gippsland League is aimed at promoting female participation and increasing female engagement in all aspects of the Gippsland League, including playing, coaching, being a volunteer, club executive or league executive,” Heathcote said.
“Unlike some leagues that say all the right things but never do anything about it, the Gippsland League is focused on actually delivering programs and initiatives to support women in sport and achieve gender equality.
“We are actively investing in this area to, hopefully, become a destination for women in sport.”
Gippsland League is a leading participant and key facilitator of the Orange Round, which takes a stand against family violence and men’s violence against women and children, showcasing gender equality in sport.
The Gippsland League adopted new leadership responsibilities for the board of management ahead of the 2023 season, with Andrew Livingstone taking over as chair and Jodi Galea taking over as vice-chair, while South Gippsland Shire director of economy and community Renae Littlejohn was elected as the newest member of the board of management in February.
Galea’s appointment as vice chair and the inclusion of a female board quota in the constitution are two further instances of how the Gippsland League is advancing in supporting gender equality, setting the standard for Gippsland sporting communities.
The Gippsland League has also appointed Robyn English to take on the league’s new netball umpire development role. This new position plays a key role in developing the member club umpires and facilitating a netball umpire program to deliver new umpires for the league.
Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence said community sport plays a vital role in shaping values and perceptions and driving important cultural change.
“Women encounter a range of barriers that reduce their participation in sports – whether that’s in the media, leadership roles or playing the game they love,” she said.
“This continued investment cements Victoria’s leadership in supporting women and girls in sport and recreation and advancing us towards gender equality in sport.”
