Latest news with #ChangeOurGame
The Age
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Is this the turning point for women's sport in Victoria?
On Friday night, the Matildas are set to dazzle a massive Marvel Stadium crowd with their football talent. And across Victoria this weekend, thousands of other women and girls will play in one of the many community sporting leagues scattered across the state. But only last week, the Victorian government quietly cut funding from a prominent statewide program, designed to increase gender equality in sport. On Thursday, interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni reignited demands for better funding, sponsorship and support for professional female soccer players. The calls for more financial support - from professional leagues to community programs - underline the stark reality of women's sport in Australia, which is struggling to attract the necessary funding at all levels. Victoria's latest budget revealed that funding for the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) would be cut. The program was created specifically to bolster the number of women and girls participating in sport by providing Change Our Game community grants as well as encouraging equal access to sporting facilities. Another program, designed to support clubs that developed sporting programs which helped to address the issue of gender-based and domestic violence, was also cut. Budget documents from 2021 prominently announce the creation of the OWSR, with a Labor government press release at the time saying that the funding boost will 'level the playing field for women and girls' and support dozens of projects. The office received $3 million from the 2021-22 budget, and was allocated $2.9 million annually over the next three years. The decision to cut the dedicated program is unnerving for community sporting organisations like the Darebin Falcons. Based in Melbourne's northern suburbs, the women's club fields more than 40 teams across AFL, soccer and cricket.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Is this the turning point for women's sport in Victoria?
On Friday night, the Matildas are set to dazzle a massive Marvel Stadium crowd with their football talent. And across Victoria this weekend, thousands of other women and girls will play in one of the many community sporting leagues scattered across the state. But only last week, the Victorian government quietly cut funding from a prominent statewide program, designed to increase gender equality in sport. On Thursday, interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni reignited demands for better funding, sponsorship and support for professional female soccer players. The calls for more financial support - from professional leagues to community programs - underline the stark reality of women's sport in Australia, which is struggling to attract the necessary funding at all levels. Victoria's latest budget revealed that funding for the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) would be cut. The program was created specifically to bolster the number of women and girls participating in sport by providing Change Our Game community grants as well as encouraging equal access to sporting facilities. Another program, designed to support clubs that developed sporting programs which helped to address the issue of gender-based and domestic violence, was also cut. Budget documents from 2021 prominently announce the creation of the OWSR, with a Labor government press release at the time saying that the funding boost will 'level the playing field for women and girls' and support dozens of projects. The office received $3 million from the 2021-22 budget, and was allocated $2.9 million annually over the next three years. The decision to cut the dedicated program is unnerving for community sporting organisations like the Darebin Falcons. Based in Melbourne's northern suburbs, the women's club fields more than 40 teams across AFL, soccer and cricket.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Victorian state budget cuts programs around gender equity and inclusion in sport
Two Australian-first programs aimed at gender equality in sport have been cut after the release of Victoria's State Budget this week. The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) and the Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program were both axed in Treasurer Jaclyn Symes's first budget. OWSR administered the Change Our Game Program, which aimed at increasing the participation, leadership and visibility of women and girls in sport and active recreation. The Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program supported Victorian community sport and recreation in addressing gender-based violence, including family violence, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against women. It supported organisations to design and deliver primary prevention activities within community sport settings through grants and funding. The cuts were announced at a Sport and Experience Economy meeting on Wednesday where the secretary acknowledged that some of the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions lapsing programs would not receive further funding and thus conclude over the coming months. A spokesperson said the Victorian government "will always support women and girls' participation in sport and recreation". Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us abcsport5050@ "The functions of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation will continue to be held within Sport and Recreation Victoria," they said. The state budget was handed down on Tuesday with a focus on the cost of living and families, which promises a $600 million surplus for the first time since the pandemic. It placed thousands of public sector jobs on the chopping block as the government aims to save $3.3 billion. The exact number of jobs to go and which ones they will be have not been identified. The violence prevention program had been running for three years, while OWSR was the first dedicated office in Australia aimed at improving gender equality in sport. Ahead of its eighth year this year, the program had funded 580 grants to the value of more than $2.9 million to community sport and active recreation clubs and organisations across Victoria. This was across a wide range of sports, including basketball, cycling, hockey, surfing and volleyball. The program also facilitated the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, an Australia‑first policy that aimed to give women and girls fairer access to community sports infrastructure, by supporting Victorian local councils to develop locally relevant gender equitable access. This aimed to tackle the widespread inequitable access to resources and facilities, as reported by the ABC. The Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence has been contacted for comment. Marnie Vinall was a graduate of the Making the Call program that became the Change our Game sports broadcasting program.
