Football Victoria (FV) today released its independent final report following a comprehensive review into the Women and Girls’ competition structure for football in Victoria.
Tasked with delivering an enhanced football experience for all senior and junior players and a clear vision for the game, the review sought to identify the optimal structure for Women and Girls' football in the state. It seeks to grow participation, provide the best pathways for junior development and identification and enhance the overall involvement of women and girls in the world game.
Endorsed by the FV Board, the final report covers key areas of improvement for the Women and Girls’ competitions and outlines 22 key recommendations. Its focus areas are football’s culture, players, referees, clubs, coaches, Government and other external stakeholders.
The recommendations are aligned to FV’s overall strategic direction and commitment to growing investment in Women and Girls’ football as we pursue our journey towards a 50:50 gender balance by 2027. Some of the report’s key recommendations include:
- Developing a bespoke Victorian Women and Girls’ overarching Football Strategy;
- Introducing single age-group competitions (e.g. separate U13s and U14s age-groups rather than current U13-14 combined age group);
- A proposed overhaul of Victoria’s Women’s Football Competition Structure;
- Methods to develop, retain and grow the number of women and girls in refereeing roles;
- Development of a standardised club induction toolkit and process outlining the roles, responsibilities and gender equity expectations for clubs, players, coaches and parents; and
- Further driving the push at local and state government levels for more “female friendly” facilities.
The full report and all its recommendations can be read here:
The Football Competition Review was conducted by independent sports consultancy firm Sports Business Partners (SBP), who worked in collaboration with FV to undertake a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process led by a dedicated and independent Review Steering Committee.
The review’s Steering Committee comprised 26 dedicated and experienced representatives from all levels of the game and was chaired by the President of Women Sport Australia, Carol Fox. Ms. Fox expressed her sincere gratitude for the time and effort contributed by all Steering Committee members.
“The team comprised many talented individuals who brought wide-ranging expertise and knowledge from a variety of backgrounds,” Ms Fox said.
“The team was provided with the opportunity to ensure that all the key themes were discussed, to review areas that were operating well and identify key areas requiring change. It was a privilege to chair this group of experts,” she said.
FV Board Director, Sezar Jakupi, was pleased with the depth of stakeholder engagement, the quality of analysis SBP and the final recommendations.
“The review has seen significant engagement with our female participants in the game and has provided clear guidance to Football Victoria on the game’s challenges and how we can work together to overcome them,” Mr. Jakupi said.
The report’s recommendations will now move to the next phase of work to be completed with key stakeholders, with a view of implementing changes over the next few seasons.
The report also concludes the most comprehensive review ever conducted by Football Victoria into both the Men’s & Boys and Women & Girls competitions.
“Victoria is leading Australia with the proactive approach in reviewing and enhancing the competition structures for both women and girls as well as men and boys. This requires a clear vision for the game and with the completion of both competition reviews, we believe that we have paved the way for the future which will deliver enhanced experiences for all participants as well as improved developmental outcomes.” Peter Filopoulos, FV CEO said.