Change Our Game | Leadership Centre

Leadership Centre

Women continue to be under-represented in visible leadership roles throughout the sport and recreation sector. This leadership space is designed to showcase various initiatives, programs, resources and provide support to help bridge this gap.

Explore the search and filter function below to find information about gender equality strategies, successful and innovative programs driving inclusion in Victoria or simply gain inspiration from some of our role models leading the way in the sector.

This is a space to collaborate and share insights as we know the only way to level the playing field is through working together. If you have any additional resources or information you think would be a great addition to this space please contact us.

The Conversation of Sport - Are Women Visible in Sports News Coverage?

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The Conversation of Sport - Are Women Visible in Sports News Coverage?

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Shaping attitudes: Exposure to women coaches and o...

While women are underrepresented as coaches and officials in community sport, new research highlights the important influence women in these leadership roles have on children.Research by Victoria

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From little things, big things grow – Burwood Cric...

After receiving a Change Our Game Community Activation Grant in 2022-23, Burwood Cricket Club (BCC) got straight to work developing a strategic plan to level the playing field for women and girls

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Sarah Styles speaking at International Women's Day event

#CountHerIn (Oh, and get we just get on with it?)

Sarah Styles, Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation addresses the room at the 2024 Change Our Game International Women's Day Lunch.The below is a subset of Sarah's welcome at th

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Sidelines to Spotlight – Supporting Women’s Career...

Sidelines to Spotlight – Supporting Women’s Careers in Sports MediaThe 2023-24 Change Our Game Women in Sports Media Program is designed to give women who are interested in sports medi

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Grants for local sports clubs to level the playing...

Applications are now open for the 2023-24 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program!The program supports local clubs and organisations to promote women and girls participating in communi

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Enhancing Participation Pathways for Women Coache...

The experiences of women coaches in community sport are diverse and can be influenced by a range of factors, including governance, culture, policies, and sport coaching pathways. This summary outl

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Female researchers at university discussing women's sport topics

Successful recipients announced – Research Grants ...

Teams of top researchers at Victorian universities are set to undertake new research projects to help break down barriers for women and girls in sport and active recreation.Minister for Community

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Conversation Series Three: Time for change, we nee...

Women continue to be under-represented in visible leadership roles throughout the sport and recreation sector. This includes across executive leadership roles, Board positions, and high-performanc

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International Women's Day 2024

Tickets for the Change Our Game International Women’s Day Lunch are now SOLD OUT!If you secured a ticket, we can't wait to celebrate with you and 700 others on Friday, March 8th at Melb

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Change Our Game Conversation Series

Our third Conversation Series, Time for change, we need more women in sports leadership, will be on Thursday 1 February, 12pm - 1pm,Join us for a panel discussion with Change Our Game Ambassadors

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Conversation Series Two: Sport should be for every...

While there has been some great progress for women and girls in sport and active recreation, four in five people agree that gender inequality in sport is still an issue that needs fixing.So how ca

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The Volunteer Capacity of Community Sports Clubs t...

Volunteers are vital to community sporting clubs delivering sport. The availability and capacity of volunteers, however, is a barrier to opportunities for women and girls in sport.The Physical Act

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International Day of the Girl 2023

Girls just wanna have... fair access to community sport!That’s what the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation is calling for today on International Day of the Girl.Observed globally

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Successful recipients announced - Professional Dev...

Seventy recipients will undertake a range of professional development and training through the 2023-24 Change Our Game Professional Development Scholarships Program.The Change Our Game Professiona

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Change Our Game Conversation Series: The Matildas ...

Join us in our first online Conversation Series event with the Change Our Game Ambassadors.This year, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup put a global spotlight on women’s and girls’

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Researching World Cup Legacy on Grassroots Footbal...

It’s been three weeks since the end of the biggest and best World Cup in women’s footballing history. In a tournament that saw almost 2 million people enter stadiums across Australia a

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Looking to try something new? Give Mountain Biking...

Nikki Lawn started Mountain Biking Ladies Australia during COVID, with the goal of empowering and encouraging women to learn to ride on dirt. Change Our Game’s Lani Johnson sat down with Nik

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Professional Development Scholarships Program

Victorian women will have the chance to build the specialist skills to thrive in leadership roles in the sport and active recreation sector, thanks to the Change Our Game Professional Development

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The Value of You Can Be What You Can See

Findings report – The Value of You Can Be What You Can SeeFor every $1 a corporate sponsor invests into the visibility of women's elite sport, supports the realisation of – on average

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Change Our Game Ambassadors

We’re delighted to announce the 2023-24 Change Our Game Ambassadors. This year’s Ambassadors are:Carol Cooke AM PLYElle Steele PLYGabby SeymourJacara EganMelissa HaleMolina AsthanaRana

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State of Play Survey 2022-23

In 2022, the Change Our Game State of Play Survey measured attitudes of the Victorian community sport sector towards gender equality in sport and active recreation, capturing results from ove

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Men as Allies: supporting women and girls in commu...

Men play an important role in driving and supporting gender equality in community sport.The sporting community is working hard to improve gender equality. Men, because of their power, influence an

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IN THE GAME: Enabling Muslim girls to play sport a...

The experiences of Muslim girls and women participating in sport and physical activity are diverse, and can be influenced by a range of factors, including social, cultural, religious and economic

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Successful Research Grants Recipients Announced

Four research projects have been successful in securing funding in the 2022-23 Change Our Game Research Grants Program. The Program supports Victorian researchers with grants of up to $25,000

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Gender Diversity on Victorian Sports Boards Survey

The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) has commissioned Deakin University to conduct research examining gender diversity on Victorian sport organisation boards, specifically the impac

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Hannah is leading the pack to get multicultural wo...

How do you engage young women in sport in the most culturally diverse region in Victoria? Hannah Singleton is working hard to provide opportunities for girls in Melbourne’s west, empowering

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National Volunteer Week

This week is National Volunteer Week (15 - 21 May) - a time to acknowledge and celebrate the many volunteers who are making a powerful impact on the sport and active recreation sector.Volunteers a

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Navigating Fair Access: Sport Sector Forums

The Fair Access Policy Roadmap aims to develop a statewide foundation to improve access to, and use of, community sports facilities for women and girls.From July 2024, as part of the Roadmap, all

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Successful Women in Sports Broadcasting applicant, Georgia Rajic, standing with a soccer ball under her arm smiling at the camera

Women in Sports Broadcasting Successful Applicants...

Thirty women will be putting their sports broadcasting expertise into practice next month, after being selected to take part in the 2022-23 Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting Program.The

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Grants To Get More Women and Girls in the Game

A further 104 community sporting organisations are set to benefit from the 2022-23 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program, sharing in over $500,000 of funding collectively.The program

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Spotlight on Spring Hills FC

Spring Hills FC is known to have a brilliant women’s soccer program, and to be a hugely successful club both on and off the field. We sat down with Spring Hills FC Women’s Technical Di

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Batter Up - 13-year-old star softballer to take on...

Lexie Nuroo is a talented 13-year-old from a successful Melbourne softball club, the Glen Waverley Angels – and she’s recently been selected to represent Australia as part of the U14 D

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Grants open to game changing research

Applications are now open for the 2022-23 Change Our Game Research Grants Program!The program supports Victorian university researchers to undertake research to identify tangible solutions to emer

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Who wants more women in sport media? It's not just...

Who wants more women in sports media? It's not just us. Our recent State of Play survey revealed 91% of spectators would be happy to see more women sports commentators.

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Tips for a great grant application

Are you ready to apply for one of our Change Our Game programs? Make sure you read our top tips and tricks on how to write a great grant application first!

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Sarah Styles speaks at International Women's Day

The following is an address from Sarah Styles, the Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, at the Change Our Game International Women's Day Lunch which took place on March 8, 202

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2023 Change Our Game Ambassador Program

Expressions of interest for the 2023 Change Our Game Ambassadors Program are now closed.The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation is seeking new Change Our Game Ambassadors in 2023 to help leve

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Applications open for the next generation of women...

A list of successful applicants from the 2022-23 Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting Platform will be available on the website from Monday 8 May, 2023.The program is designed to support w

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Grants for local sports clubs to level the playing...

Applications are now open for the 2022-23 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program!The program supports local clubs and eligible organisations to run initiatives that promote participat

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#IWD2023 keynote speaker announced

The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation is thrilled to announce that Emma Murray, one of Australia's leading high performance mindset coaches and one of the country's most sought-after s

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Fair Access Policy Roadshow

The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation have returned from the statewide Fair Access Roadshow, which involved 14 workshops with Victorian councils over eight weeks. Since the beginning of th

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Change Our Game International Women's Day 2023

On Wednesday 8 March, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) hosted the Change Our Game International Women’s Day Lunch at CENTREPIECE, on Wurundjeri Land, which featured a

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Our Grads at the Wheelchair National Championships

The Wheelchair AFL National Championships were held at the Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre at the end of November 2022, with two previous Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting reci

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Keeping Girls in the Game

Manningham United Blues is a football club who are leading the way in gender equality. We had a chat with committee member Natalie Moccero, who let us in on some of the club’s secrets when i

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Get ready for the Women's Ice Hockey Championships

Sarah Dash is breaking down barriers as an Australian Women’s Ice Hockey player – and she’s representing Victoria this weekend at the Women’s National Championship. Read mo

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State of Play Attitudinal Survey

The State of Play Attitudinal Survey is taking the pulse of the state on certain topics, to help shape the future of sport and active recreation in Victoria – and you’re invited to hav

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International Day of the Girl 2022

In 2012, the United Nations declared October 11 as International Day of the Girl, a global day of recognition to celebrate the achievements and potential of girls.Today, on the 10-year anniversary

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Making Ground: The Participation of Muslim Girls i...

“We still have the mindset that girls can’t participate in sports, it’s all about the boys. How can we break through that barrier? I think it’s about education and exposure

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Leading From The Front

“It will expand the way you see the world and change the way you exercise leadership.”Melissa Hale was awarded a Change Our Game scholarship in 2020 – since then, her leadership

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Sidelined: The Fight for Equality in Women's Baske...

Australia’s longest running professional women’s sporting team, the Deakin Melbourne Boomers, are fighting for more than a championship on the basketball court – and a new SBS Vi

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Women in Sport summit - Sarah Styles Address

The following is an address from Sarah Styles, the Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, at the Ministry of Sport’s fourth annual Women in Sport summit which took place o

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And We're Rolling

Semi-professional skateboarder Bridget Williams is smashing down barriers and looking to drive change in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sport. The 15-year-old is set to travel t

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Absolutely Ausome

At the age of 15, basketball-loving Phoebe McShane realised that there were no basketball programs designed specifically for people on the Autism spectrum, including her younger brother – an

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Surf's Up

Phillip Island Boardriders Club (PIBC), established in 1963, lays claim to the oldest continuously running surf club in Australia. Hannah Eisen, the second female President in the club’s his

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Fair Access Policy Roadmap Response

The Fair Access Policy Roadmap is supporting local governments and other public land management groups to ensure gender equitable access to and use of community sports infrastructure across

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Fair Access Information Sessions

The Fair Access Policy Roadmap is set to deliver equitable access to, and use of, publicly owned community sports infrastructure across Victoria.Join the Office for Women in Sport and Recreat

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Fair Access Policy Roadmap

It's time for Fair Access. Find out more here.

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Meet Mama Mish

Michelle Sheppard, affectionately known as Mama Mish, is a highly respected presenter, advocate, and trainer in the gender equity space. As a transgender woman, she appreciates the difficulties wi

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Women Sporting Leaders Building the Skills to Thri...

Victorian women will have the chance to build the specialist skills to thrive in leadership roles in the sport and active recreation sector, thanks to the new Change Our Game Professional Developm

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Serving Up A New Sport!

Looking to try something new? Then pickleball might be for you! We sat down with Ray Langenberg from Auspickleball to learn all about one of the fastest growing sports in the world.What is pickleb

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Get To Know Our RiverRoos

The RiverRoos are our Australian Rafting team and have just come fourth at the International Rafting Federation World Rafting Championships! We decided to check-in with rafting athlete Sia Kanello

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Nikki McClure for President

Nikki McClure has recently been elected as the first female President of Kingston Heath Golf Club in its 113-year history. We sat down with Nikki and asked her all things family, golf, and leaders

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Researching Barriers Facing Women and Girls in Spo...

Four research projects across four universities have been successful in applying for funding under the 2021-22 Change Our Game Research Grants Program.The Program supports Victorian researchers wi

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Hook, Line and Sinker - How VRFish Achieved Gender...

Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body (VRFish) have recently achieved 50% of women on their Board. We sat down with Holly Amos, Communications Manager at VRFish, and asked her how they did it.H

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Successful Community Activation Grants Applicants ...

A further 115 organisations across the sport and active recreation sector are set to benefit from the 2021-22 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program.The program offers grants of up to

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Successful Candidates for the Change Our Game Fina...

12 women eager to progress their careers in sports management are set to benefit from a new pilot program delivered in partnership with Melbourne Business School (MBS). The Finance for Non-Financi

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Commentary Box a Step Closer for 15 Women

The ambition of 15 women to get behind the microphone has been given a boost, after being selected to take part in the second round of the 2021-22 Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting Prog

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Baseball is Changing the Game for Women in Sport

Twelve years ago, Genevieve Beacom was a five-year-old girl who was sick of watching her brother play baseball. She’d been going to all of his trainings, and to games every Sunday - so she a

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Flexible Sport Uniform Policies Keep Girls in the ...

One major strategy to keep girls and women involved in community sport is to let them choose their uniforms.That was the major finding from the Effects of Sport Uniform Policy Changes to Girls and

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Up to $1 million to be invested in game changing r...

The Change Our Game Research and Insights Initiative will see up to $1 million over four years invested into world-leading research to advance gender equality in sport and active recreation.In lin

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COG IWD 2022

International Women's Day 2022

"You don't have to be an expert to be a change maker. You just need to believe in a future where someone's gender is no longer a limiting factor on their dreams."Sarah Styles, Director at the Offi

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Successful Candidates for the Change Our Game Wome...

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 sp

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Women's Voices in the Mix for Great Sporting Momen...

The Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting Program is now open to applications from Victorian women looking to kick-start their career in the sports broadcasting industry.This incredible pro

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Women and Girls' Participation in Male-Dominated S...

The findings of a research project on Women and Girls' Participation in Male-Dominated Sports, undertaken by Physical Activity and Sport Insights (PASI), has provided some valuable insights into g

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Surf Her Way Launched

THERE'S A WAVE FOR YOU. Surf Her Way encourages women and girls to discover the freedom and joy of surfing as a way to be abundantly connected to nature and each other, be confident and happy.Surf

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Dr Bridie O’Donnell inducted to honour roll as a c...

Dr Bridie O’Donnell is a powerhouse.We’ve all known it for some time, but now it’s official.Last week Dr O’Donnell was inducted into the 2021 Victorian Women’s Honour

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Marnie

Making The Call For More Women’s Voices In Sport

The 2021-22 Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting Program (the Program) is designed to give women who are interested in sports media and broadcasting the knowledge and skills to progre

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New Director Of Office For Women In Sport And Recr...

Highly experienced and well-credentialed sports administrator Sarah Styles has been appointed as Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation in Victoria.Sarah is a skilled and respect

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Group of girls in sports uniform

Study reveals sports uniforms influence girls part...

The Victorian Government is encouraging sporting clubs and schools to consider the findings of a new study that highlights the importance of uniforms in making girls feel comfortable and more like

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Balance

Balance the Board

The mandatory 40% women on boards quota came into effect on 1 July 2019. We are here to help.

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Branded tile - Recuitment and Retention Guidelines for Women in Sport and Recreation

Women in Sport Recruitment and Retention Guideline...

The Change Our Game Recruitment and Retention Guidelines for Women in Sport and Recreation have been developed to assist community sport and recreation organisations increase the number

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Headshots of all eight Champions

Champions set to change our game

The second intake of Change Our Game Champions have been unveiled and a diverse group of male sports leaders gathered in Melbourne to discuss how they can be champions of change within their organ

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Branded tile - Women in Sport and Recreation Communication and Marketing Strategies

Women in Sport Communication and Marketing Strateg...

The Change Our Game Women in Sport and Recreation Communication and Marketing Guidelines have been developed in conjunction with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC

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Insights from women who work in sport

Following the completion of what is widely regarded as one of the best women’s national basketball league seasons in its history, WNBL boss Sally Phillips is entitled to feel that the WNBL h

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Rosie and Karen standing with their awards

Leaders recognised for their off court contributio...

The Victorian Sport Awards is the night of nights for the Victorian sporting community; celebrating participants, coaches, organisers and the volunteers behind the scenes from all levels of sport

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Change Our Game Girls in Sport Summit

On 13 October 2018, in the week of the International Day of the Girl, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) hosted a first-of-its-kind deliberation, bringing together 82 girls aged b

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Women in Coaching

We know women are underrepresented in leadership roles across all levels of the Victorian sport and active recreation sector, particularly coaches, but also umpires, referees, administrators, exec

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Alyssa Healy

One size doesn’t fit all

The market is changing and the way we market our products has to be just as relevant to males as females.

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She Can Coach - AFL Vic

Last night AFL Victoria launched their She Can Coach program.This new initiative, supported through the Victorian Government's Change Our Game Workforce Development program, is designed to invest

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Branded tile titled Active Women and Girls

Active Women and Girls Strategy

The City of Ballarat's 2018 Active Women and Girls’ Strategy aims to provide a tailored response to priority issues identified within the municipality that may be constraining women and girl

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Title tile transition to mandatory board quotas

Transition to Board Quotas

By 1 July 2019 all sport and active recreation organisations funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria and the Victorian Government will be expected to comply with the mandatory 40% women on boards