The Fair Access Roadmap aims to develop a state-wide foundation for gender equitable access to, and use of, community sports infrastructure for women and girls, to support participation in community sport and active recreation across Victoria.
It’s time for Fair Access.
Many Victorian women and girls are not getting access to the best courts or grounds or are given less convenient competition and training times. This can make participation difficult or unsafe and prevents players from reaching their full potential.
To address this inequality, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation developed the Australian-first Fair Access Policy Roadmap in partnership with VicHealth and Sport and Recreation Victoria. Informed by consultation with representatives from local government and the sport sector, the roadmap aims to achieve state-wide gender equitable access to, and use of, community sport facilities.
View video transcript
Vision: View of a basketball court and a small child walks in and climbs on a chair to face the camera.
Narrator
Hi. What have you got there? Is that your special ball?
Child 1
Yes.
Vision: Child 1 punches the ball away.
Narrator
Are you really good at sport?
Child 1
Yes. I’ve been practicing.
Narrator
Why did you want to start playing football?
Child 1
Because my mum plays.
Narrator
Do mums get to play football?
Child 1
Yeah.
Vision: A small child is lifted onto the chair by an adult and faces camera.
Narrator:
What sport do girls play?
Child 2
Rugby.
Vision: View of small child and adult sitting in chairs facing camera.
Child 3
Girls and boys can play anything they want.
Vision: View of older child sitting on chair facing camera.
Child 4
I think everyone deserves the same chance. I don’t think that should be determined by their gender.
Text: Women and girls are still fighting for fair access in community sporting clubs across Victoria.
Vision: Adult 1 walks into the scene.
Vision: View of an adult sitting on the chair.
Adult 1
This is so weird.
Narrator
What are some of the barriers that you’ve faced as a woman in sport?
Vision: View of adult female sitting on chair.
Adult 2
We were made to get changed under a scoreboard, not ideal, but at the time I didn’t know any different so you just think that that’s what happens and you move on.
Adult 1
We had to fight for just space on a playing field. We get given a corridor to play on whereas often the men’s teams will have the rest of the oval.
Adult 2
And then you are told that they’ve fourth quarter has been pulled short so they can start the men’s game on time.
Adult 3
It’s sad but you kind of become a bit accustomed to it. It’s one of those things that you have to, as a female, kind of ignore.
Adult 4
It makes us feel like shit, like, you know, like we don’t feel valued in these environments.
Narrator
Why do we accept that in sport?
Adult 3
It’s just the way country football’s always been set up. I think girls are just really taught that, like, the boys are going to be the ones that are going to be the sporting heroes. It’s always been male-dominated and that’s the reason why I think most women do take a step back and just accept it.
Text: It’s time for change.
Adult 1
Often, you know, if you have a dominant form of people in these spaces those views will continue.
Adult 5
Males have also a role to play in this and we need to start changing our communication.
Adult 6
We want to be united. We want to be one club.
Adult 7
When we have women’s games we’ll purposely put on the main field. No other games are playing at the same time. You have your change room. Let’s make the effort because it’s important.
Adult 1
Community sport’s hurt me in many ways, in many instances, but at the same time I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for community sport. So, I tell women and girls to stick with it and hopefully the systems will catch up to better support us.
Adult 2
It’s now our turn. It’s now our turn to shine.
Vision: View of lady giving little girl a kiss on the cheek.
Text: It’s time to lift our game. It’s time for Fair Access.
Text; Change Our Game. To find out more about the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, visit: changeourgame.vic.gov.au.
Text: Victoria State Government. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
Fair Access will look different across varying settings and areas in Victoria. It can look like:
Victorian Government eligibility criteria for programs that fund community sport infrastructure require local councils to have gender equitable access and use policies (or equivalent) in place, and to be showing progress against these policies over time.
Each council's policy must show how women and girls will be considered when it comes to allocating community sport facilities, such as football ovals, change rooms and courts. The policies will also contain locally relevant actions that councils will lead on, to achieve long-term change, leading to more equal participation opportunities for women and girls.
The roadmap aligns with councils’ existing obligations as Defined Entities under the Gender Equality Act 2020.
Page last updated: 12 September 2024
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