46 Victorian women have been selected to take part in an initiative to support their success in senior governance roles in the sport and recreation sector.

These women come from a broad range of sport and recreation fields, including professional sporting codes, Summer and Winter Olympic sports, local community clubs and the University sector.

The Change Our Game Women in Governance Program supports women working and volunteering in the sport and recreation sector gain the knowledge, skills and support to excel in board positions at a regional, state and national level. This includes a comprehensive overview of the main components of directorship including governance, strategy, risk and finance.

The program is an example of the backing being provided to support the Balance The Board policy, which has required a minimum of 40% women on funded sport and active recreation boards since 2019.

The Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, Sarah Styles, said, “One of the most damaging stereotypes about women in sport, is that there are none.

“I’d like to congratulate the successful candidates - it is exciting to see these women honing their skills to grow their impact in the Victorian sport and active recreation sector, and in doing so, inspire other women and girls to do the same.”

The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation has partnered with the Australian Institute of Company Directors to deliver the three-day program.

The Change Our Game Women in Governance Program follows a successful pilot program last year, which saw 25 women graduate. One of those was Fiona Bennett who sits on the Board of Barwon Sports Academy.

Based in Geelong and working as Project Coordinator at Leisure Networks at the time, Fiona had participated in previous Change Our Game programs when she saw the call for applications for the Governance Program in mid2020. Being new to the Barwon Sports Academy role, Fiona felt this program would assist in her transition from local club committee roles to her Board role and help instil good governance processes to aid her and the Board in navigating the challenging covid landscape.

Bennett said, “The course was very intense but as a result I now look at financial papers and can understand what they are telling me about the organisation. I feel more prepared and more confident in my role as a Board member.”

The successful candidates are listed in the table below:

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Wednesday 2 March, 2022