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WOMEN & GIRLS’ COMPETITION REVIEWFINAL REPORT – MAY 2019

SBP REPORT -- FV WOMEN & GIRLS’ COMPETITION REVIEW – MAY 2019 – FINAL REPORT

In October 2018, SBP were commissioned by Football Victoria (FV) to

conduct an independent review of women and girls’ football in Victoria.

This review forms part of a broader Football Competitions Review (FCR),

which also included the review of men's and boys’ football, completed in

October 2018.

The primary objective of this review was to determine the optimal

structures for women’s and girls’ football in Victoria to grow

participation, provide the best possible pathway for junior talent

development and identification, whilst also facilitating stronger club

structures and encouraging the growth of women’s overall involvement

in the game, in the medium and long term.

The review engaged with a broad range of stakeholders and considered

the key issues including representation of women and girls in both

administration, coaching and officiating roles, the cost of playing

football, the welfare of players, the economic viability of clubs, the elite

development pathway, expanding the participation base, club

engagement with local government, access to facilities and the

experience that players have through their involvement in the game.

An independent Steering Committee made up of 27 dedicated and

experienced football representatives from all levels of the game was

established by FV. The Steering Committee was chaired by Carol Fox,

President of Women Sport Australia.

This report presents the research, analysis, key findings and

recommendations from the review.

Introduction

I N T R O D U C T I O N A N D C O N T E N T S

Contents

Project Background …………………………………………..…………….…………… 3

Methodology Overview ……………………………………...................……………. 4

Key Findings and Recommendations ………………..…..………………….….. 5

Survey Summary ………………………………………………………………………….. 26

Situation Analysis and Benchmarking …………………..……………………… 42

Document Review Summary ……………………………..…..………………..…… 55

Appendix …………………………………………..……………………………………….… 60

SBP REPORT -- FV WOMEN & GIRLS’ COMPETITION REVIEW – MAY 2019 – FINAL REPORT Page 3

Project Steering Committee

The Project Steering Committee (PSC) was charged with the responsibility of identifying the optimum women’s and girls’ football competition

structures in Victoria with a view to:

• Maximising women’s and girls’ football participation;

• Providing football participants with the optimum football experience they desire with regard to their capability and their desired engagement with

the game at different phases of their lifecycle;

• Providing the environment for Victorian football clubs to grow, remain economically viable and create a passionate football culture in Victoria

through their provision of a friendly, supportive environment for women and girls and the fair and adequate resourcing of women and girls in their

clubs;

• Understanding the optimum allocation and development of Victoria’s sporting facilities and ensuring the fair and adequate resourcing of women

and girls to these facilities;

• Understanding the required number and quality of Victoria’s football coaches pertaining to women’s and girls’ teams and understanding the factors

which limit the participation of women and girls as coaches and the means to overcome the barriers to such participation at all levels; and

• Understanding the required number and quality of Victoria’s referees and the means of overcoming the barriers which have severely limited the

participation of women and girls as referees in Victoria.

The Project Steering Committee members:

• Carol Fox (Chair)

• Sezar Jakupi (FV Board)

• Hanife Ymer (FV Board)

• Sarah Walsh (FFA)

• Emma Highwood (FFA)

• Helen Tyrikos (FV)

• Annick Fokchak (FV)

• David Zucchet (FV)

• Maria Berry

• Peter Boyes

• Debbie Fisher

• Kate Gill

• Gabrielle Giuliano

• Holly Hays

• Cassandra Heilbronn

• Jeff Hopkins

• Arthur Kiousis

• Alexandra Mangion

• Tamara Mason

• Jo Plummer

• Aish Ravi

• Julie Ryan

• Hilary Shelton

• Lou Simopoulos

• Ashlee Good (resigned April 2019)

• Susan Rushworth

(resigned April 2019)

• Emilio Amanatidis (FV – Project

Manager)

P R O J E C T B AC KG RO U N D


2 3 41

SCOPING & PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

SITUATION ANALYSIS &

BENCHMARKING

STAKEHOLDER

CONSULTATION

OPTIONS & SOLUTIONS

WORKSHOPS

• Formal workshop with

the Project Manager.

• Review, finalise and

agree on the overall

objectives, scope,

timelines and

deliverables of the

project.

• Introduction and

process meeting with

Steering Committee.

• Review all existing

documentation in

relation to:

• Current female

competitions

• Participation and elite

player pathways for

women

• Club facilities

• Cost of participation

• Extensive analysis and

benchmarking of key

data and metrics.

• A series of formal

workshop series with

the Project Manager

and PSC to present

findings, implications

and potential solutions.

• A final workshop with

the Project Manager

and PSC to present the

draft report and discuss

the findings and

recommendations.

5

FINAL REPORT &

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Detailed report with key

issues and

recommendations for

competition structures,

pathways and models

based on insights from

consultations, research

and workshops.

• Presentation of final

report to Football

Victoria.

• Stakeholder survey with

925 responses.

• In-depth interviews with

27 key stakeholders.

• 6 Stakeholder Forums

with:

• Female Coaches

• Female Referees

• Current Players

• NPLW Technical

Directors and

Coaches

• North-West Clubs

• South-East Clubs

November 2018November 2018 -

February 2019

December 2018 -

April 2019February 2019 -

May 2019May 2019

M E T H O D O L O GY OV E R V I E W

KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


W O M E N A N D G I R L S I N T H E F O O T B A L L E C O S Y S T E M

The following key insights have been highlighted as integral to shaping

the focus and outcomes of the review and were continually referred to

throughout the project:

• Given the club nature of the junior development pathway in Victoria,

1 in 11 women and girls who play football in Victoria play in the

highest competition available (NPLW competition). This is in contrast

to many other sport talent development pathways where junior player

development is conducted outside of the club environment (e.g. 1 in

362 in the Netball and 1 in 130 in AFL Victoria).

• Positively, the participant experience and the competitiveness of this

competition has been improving over time:

• The percentage of NPLW players who remain in the sport each

year has increased from 71% in 2016 to 85% in 2018.

• The goal difference across all Junior NPLW matches has

improved, with average goal difference dropping from 3.0 in

2014+ to 1.8 in 2018. This is an indicator that the games within

NPLW are becoming more competitive. For reference, senior

NPLW goal difference increased from 2.6 to 3.2.

• More broadly, there are clear opportunities to improve the overall

experience and gender balance within the sport:

• More than two-fifths (42%) of respondents, from the Women’s

Football Stakeholder Survey, do not believe women’s and girls’

teams have the same access to pitches as men’s and boys

teams.

Based on FV’s ambition of achieving 50:50 male:female registered

participation in the sport by 2027 (requiring a 500% increase in female

participation), the organisation will need to invest significant resources

into women and girls’ football, in addition to leading change and

overseeing a major growth phase across the entire football system in

Victoria. The following chart shows the required rate of participation

growth required for FV to meet the 50:50 participation target.

+Note: For the purpose of analysis, all ‘A-Grade’ junior football prior to 2016 has been

included with NPLW Juniors.

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027

Projection to Reach 50:50 Participation by 2027

Total Registered Players Projected Total Registered Players

Registered Players - Male Projected Registered Players - Male

Registered Players - Female Projected Registered Players - Female

100,000

65,000

35,000

153,495

76,748


The robust research, analysis and steering committee workshops

completed throughout this review resulted in twelve key themes within

five strategic priority areas. This page provides an overview of the

resultant framework and the following pages outline the key findings

and recommendations in each area.

A systematic approach to growing women and girls’ football

R E V I E W F R A M E W O R K

Vision and strategy

Attitudes and behaviours

Women and girls in the football ecosystem

Understanding the market

Culture

Key

Themes

Player depth and retention

Competition structure and administration

Players

Key

Themes

Referee development and welfare

Referees

Key

Theme

Club engagement and support

Recruitment and retention of female coaches

Clubs and Coaches

Key

Themes

School engagement and support

Facility provision

Multiple ways to engage

Government and Stakeholders

Key

Themes


Vision and Strategy

• Many stakeholders applauded FV’s vision for 50/50 participation, yet

some concerns were raised about a lack of initiatives or strategies to

support progress towards this target. There was also confusion as to

whether the 50/50 target applies only to female players or if it also

applies to other roles in the sport such as coaches, referees and

administrators, all of which would be essential to growing female

participation.

• The lack of a cohesive and united strategy to growing participation of

women and girls has created an environment where passionate clubs

are developing initiatives to grow female participation. While it is

positive to see many clubs being proactive in this regard, the

“piecemeal” approach means FV will need to be flexible in its

approach to harnessing momentum of existing activities and aligning

it with future growth strategies.

Attitudes and Behaviours

• Throughout the review, a common theme which regularly came up

was the attitudes and behaviours by some parts of the football

community towards the women’s game. These ranged from extremely

positive and optimistic, through to a sense of apathy and even a

sense of helplessness in some cases resulting from historical decisions

made which negatively impacted the game for women and girls.

• While this review was not designed to measure the culture of the

sport, the experiences shared with the review highlights some of the

key challenges facing the game in order to grow female participation.

• For the most part, much of the negative behaviour is due to a

perception that somehow the women’s football product is inferior to

the men’s product. As a consequence, the consideration of women’s

football generally falls second when it comes to training and game

times, pitch allocation and resourcing for coaches and referees.

Key Findings

C U LT U R E


Women in the Football Ecosystem

• The review has found an unconscious gender bias exists within

decision makers at all levels of the game and can be attributed to a

lack of women in leadership positions within the sport. Without the

presence and involvement of more women in decision making

processes in the future, this will not be overcome.

• The phrase “you can’t be what you can’t see” was used numerous

times by stakeholders of the women’s game throughout the

consultation process. This highlights that part of the solution is

recruiting more women into leadership roles (as well as coaching and

refereeing roles) and creating greater visibility of those women

already in these positions, showing that women are valued within

these roles and the game as a whole.

Understanding the Market

• The reasons and motivations for many women and girls to play

football are vastly different to those of men and boys, and yet for the

most part, the administration, structure and pathways are almost

identical.

• The stakeholder survey identified the health, fun and the social

aspects of football as some of the main reasons why women and girls

choose to play football. This is in contrast to the majority of male

participants, who value the more competitive aspects of football.

• Many coaches and club representatives also gave emphasis to the

strength of the social bonds which are formed between teammates in

women’s and girls’ teams. These bonds can have a significant

influence on the collective decision of the group on which team or

club to play at, or even if they will play at all.

• Conversely, boys will typically place their ambitions and dreams of

success above their connects and bonds with their teammates.

Key Findings

C U LT U R E


1.1 That FV use the recommendations of this review, the targets set in the FV Strategic Plan 2019-2022, and consultation with key stakeholders to

develop a Women and Girls’ Football Strategy. This strategy should be publicly launched by the end of 2019 to strengthen FV’s

commitment to growing women and girls’ football in Victoria. Progress toward implementing the strategy and achieving the targets should be

reported on annually and made available to all stakeholders of the game. The 50/50 gender split should apply as a target across all areas of the

game.

1.2 That FV mandate “40/40/20” gender equity quotas across all levels of governance in the game in Victoria by 2024. This should commence at

the next election cycle for the FV Board, Standing Committees and Zone Representatives, followed by all NPL and NPLW clubs and regional

associations by 2022 and the remainder of clubs by 2024. FV need to be supportive of each of these entities to ensure 100% compliance.

1.3 That FV conducts a review of football resourcing, all operational expenditure and processes across development, administration,

competition management, prize money and club support and develop an organisational resourcing plan to support the implementation of the

Women and Girls’ Football Strategy and achieving the targets. The ultimate objective of this plan will be to apply a process of gender

mainstreaming to achieve gender equity in resource allocation, operational expenditure and processes.

Note: A draft strategic framework is provided at the end of this section of the report.

Recommendations

C U LT U R E


Dual Age Group

• The existing junior dual age group structure results in players from

within teams being split up at the end of each season. This structure is

in place to cater to current participation demand but it impacts social

bonds between teammates which is a leading contributor to attrition

of junior girls in football.

• Analysis of the age of female players shows that there is a drop in

player numbers in the years in which they move into the lower age of

a new division (i.e. 13 year-olds and 15 year-olds).

• The dual age group structure also requires coaches to ‘self grade’

teams at the start of each season. It is difficult for many coaches and

administrators to accurately assess the standard of their team in

comparison to other teams in the league. This leads to teams being

graded in the wrong division and results in uncompetitive results.

Analysis of 2018 community football results showed that more than

one in five matches (21%) in both senior and junior football had a

goal margin of five goals or more.

• In 2019, the current under-12s cohort are in the first season of a 9v9

half pitch competition format. There is an opportunity in 2020 for this

cohort of players to transition into an under-13 division and ease the

transition into full pitch, 11-a-side football..

NPLW Status

• The current amateur status of the NPLW prevents players from having

a contract with their club and receiving payment for their services.

This is particularly an issue for players returning to the NPLW at the

end of the W-league season and having to change their status from

professional to amateur in order to play.

• Any change to the status of the NPLW needs to carefully consider the

impact it will have on the eligibility of players to receive US college

scholarships. While this is outside of the FV and FFA pathway, the US

college system provides significant opportunities for female

footballers to not only access a high-level of competition, but also

receive free tertiary education.

• Players will need to be fully informed of the consequences of signing

a professional contract as many young talented players may decide

not to play in the NPLW if they have hopes of receiving a US College

scholarship.

Key Findings - Competition Structure

P L AY E R S


NPLW Status (Cont.)

• Additionally, elite players in their late teens and early twenties are

generally confronted with a decision to choose between playing

football and working. Many young women work in the retail and

hospitality sectors, both of which have expectations of being available

for weekend shifts. This often conflicts with football commitments,

especially games. The inability of female players to financially support

themselves through remuneration from playing football also places

pressure on having to take weekend shifts to maintain their

employment.

NPLW Club Restrictions

• The current NPLW competition structure and license requirements

restrict the number of teams which the club can have. This limits the

number of players which the club can spread overheads across, which

them limits the amount of surplus funds that can be generated to

reinvest back into the growth of the club.

• This severely impacts the future of the stand-alone/consortium NPLW

clubs due to the limited size and structure of the clubs. These NPLW

clubs provide a welcoming and female friendly environment and an

alternative to players who do not want to play at a male-centric NPL

club.

• Anecdotal evidence indicates that the consortium model is not

financially sustainable in its current format.

Promotion and Relegation

• Currently the NPLW is a closed competition; it is exclusive to only

those clubs which hold a NPLW license. No opportunities currently

exist for high-performing State League clubs to be promoted into the

competition.

• Many coaches, technical directors and club representatives identified

current State League clubs which could be competitive in the NPLW

competition. These clubs have demonstrated sustained performance

and retention of players across a number of years and whose teams

have collectively worked their way up from the lower divisions.

• With no promotion and relegation between State League 1 and the

NPLW, these high-performing State League teams do not have the

opportunity to be promoted into the highest competition in the state.

Key Findings - Competition Structure

P L AY E R S


2.1 That single age groups are phased into the girls’ competition structure for community football, starting with separating the current under-

13-14s competition into under-13s and under-14s in 2020, and followed by under-15s and under-16s in 2022 if feasible.

2.2 FV seek expertise to ensure game formats for the new under-13s age group provide a player experience which maximises enjoyment,

social inclusion and interaction, and retention in football.

2.3 That FV further explores changing the status of the NPLW competition to semi-professional (like NPL), with a decision made before the end of

2020.

2.4 That a new, state-wide division of competition for senior women is created between the NPLW and State League 1, and is launched by 2021 or

2020 (pending majority consensus with clubs).

a) The new league be made up of the top State League 1 clubs from South-East and North-West divisions and these clubs meet on and off-

field standards which reflect the increase in standard from State League 1.

b) Promotion and relegation between the new, state-wide division of competition for senior women and State League 1 commence at the

end of the first full season of competition.

Recommendations

P L AY E R S


Recommendations

P L AY E R S

NPLW

(10 teams)

State League 1

North-WestState League 1

South-East

State League 3

North

State League 3

WestState League 3

South

State League 3

East

New Division

(10 teams)

State League 2

North-WestState League 2

South-East

State League 4

North

State League 4

WestState League 4

South

State League 4

East

Recommendation 2.4 – Proposed Women’s Football Competition Structure

(10 teams each)

(10 teams each)


2.5 That at the completion of the second full season of the new state-wide division of competition for senior women, promotion and relegation

is implemented between this competition and the NPLW competition.

That FV further refine the optimal model for junior girls competitions.

2.6 That consideration be given to allow NPLW clubs the opportunity for additional teams in each age level. These teams shall play in a

community football league and be subject to an application to FV detailing (as a minimum):

• Availability of community pitches to accommodate the additional team.

• Increased transparency of player fees.

2.7 That FV conduct a review of the talented female player pathway in Victoria. This review should consider the role which the NTC plays in

the development of talented players, the training environment at NPLW clubs, the most appropriate competition/playing environment for

talented female players and the impact that the current NTC structure has on the NPLW competition. The review should also provide a

framework for FV to set performance targets with regards to player representation in the Matildas and Young Matildas squads.

Longer-term Considerations

• That FV investigates a new structure which reduces the overall length of the NPLW season. The new structure may include the introduction of a

pre-season/post-season cup style tournament for teams in the NPLW and the new, state-wide division of competition for senior women. This

should reduce the number of games W-League players are expected to play with their NPLW clubs without compromising playing

opportunities for other players. Once developed, FV should engage with clubs and players to ensure support of the new structure prior to

implementation.

• That in the long term, once the overall strength and standard of the NPLW clubs has surpassed that of the NTC environment and training, the

NTC is removed from the NPLW competition structure and evolved into a complementary player development pathway in line with FFA

requirements.

Recommendations

P L AY E R S


Referee Development and Welfare

• Female referees play a vital role in growing the participation of

women and girls in football by demonstrating leadership and

providing young girls with role models within the sport.

• Despite their importance to the growth of women’s and girls’ football,

and the game overall, the majority of female referees engaged

throughout the review felt unsupported by FV. Many also reported

they felt uncomfortable within the male dominated environments at

some of the referee branches in Victoria.

• During the forum with female referees, almost all of the referees

present provided examples where they had been made to feel

uncomfortable by male referees. Examples of this behaviour include:

• Inappropriate jokes, comments and language being directed

towards female referees by players, club representatives and

male referees.

• Female referees having to share a change room with 4-5 male

referees.

• Male referees training without shirts on.

• Male referees applying different standards and communication

styles to male and female players.

• Alarmingly, when these issues have been brought to the attention of

senior referees and the FV Referees Department, the people raising

the concerns felt they were either dismissed, ignored or not taken

seriously. As a result, some referees no longer report inappropriate

behaviour to FV.

• Further exacerbating the male-dominated culture and environment

within referee branches is the perception that the current systems for

recruiting, inducting, training and appointing referees is also strongly

biased towards males. For example:

• Video content used during the introductory training course very

rarely features footage from women’s games.

• Currently, approximately 10% of referee courses facilitated by

FV are female only.

• The fitness standards applied to NPLW referees are lower than

NPL, W-League and A-League. Referees who are aspiring to

progress from NPLW will always have this additional hurdle, yet

this doesn’t appear to be clearly communicated. This means

female referees aspiring to become A-League referees will need

to progress through the male pathway in Victoria.

• The system for appointing referees is perceived to unfairly

‘pigeon hole’ female referees to only female matches, denying

them the significant opportunities to extend their development

through exposure to the faster male competitions.

• As a result, many of the top female referees in Victoria feel they have

reached a ceiling in their progression due to not having access to

appropriate development opportunities within Victoria.

Key Findings

R E F E R E E S


3.1 That FV conduct a review of the Referees’ Branches across Victoria to significantly enhance and adequately resource the service delivery

and overall experience for referees at each branch. This review should include (but not be limited to): roles and responsibilities, policies, service

standards, remuneration and the resourcing model required to enable FV to meet its strategic objective.

3.2 That FV develop a suite of resources to educate and support referee branches to develop and retain women and girls in refereeing roles.

These resources should highlight the importance of a safe environment, the different motivations for women and girls to become referees and

provide practical advice on how to overcome barriers that prevent women and girls from becoming a referee.

3.3 That FV develop and implement a formalised mentoring program to support the ongoing development and retention of female

referees. The program should enable objective, constructive and supportive feedback for referees based on the individual developmental

needs of each referee.

3.4 That FV expand the current ‘female only’ referee development courses and introduce ‘female only’ training sessions and fitness testing

to support the expansion of women’s and girls’ football in Victoria. This will also require additional presenters to be recruited and trained to

meet the demand at branch level, and at FFA talent identification sessions. This should be complemented by developing and implementing

online learning modules for referees.

3.5 That FV clearly communicate the female Referee Pathway including all educational, training and supporting resources available to

referees by the end of 2019. This should clearly delineate between the FV pathway and the FFA pathway, and be clearly communicated in the

Level 4 course materials and at the formal induction presentations at each of the branches.

Recommendations

R E F E R E E S


Club Engagement and Support

• Only 55% (n=200) of the 360 Victorian football clubs offer programs

for women and girls. For FV’s vision of 50/50 participation to be

realised, the remaining 160 (plus any new clubs) will also need to

deliver programs for women and girls.

• For clubs which have traditionally been male dominated, one of the

biggest challenges they face in growing female participation is

understanding the different motivations and barriers for women and

girls. Clubs will need to increase the representation of women on

Boards and Committees to ensure that decisions regarding women’s

and girls’ football are being made with input from women. Current

estimates from FV place the representation of women on Boards and

Committees, and in administrative roles at Victoria football clubs

between 27% and 43%. However, through this review many women in

football believe this number is much lower, as they are not visible at

their clubs.

• This highlights two key challenges for clubs: 1) how do they increase

the representation of women on the Board and Committee, and; 2)

how does the club evolve from a male-dominated culture to one

which welcomes, supports and values female participation in the

game?

• As with players, many consultations involved discussions of

competing commitments such as work, study, family and care, and

the different challenges many women face in being involved as club

volunteers compared to men. To achieve significant growth in female

volunteers and leaders, additional flexibility will need to be provided

to make the opportunities more feasible.

Key Findings

C L U B S A N D C OAC H E S


Recruitment and Retention of Female Coaches

• Many female players do not consider coaching or refereeing as an

obvious option at the end of their playing careers, unlike many males

who see these roles as a natural progression. This is in part to the

low-visibility of women in coaching and refereeing roles.

• Throughout the review, many club representatives reported they

found it challenging to recruit and retain female coaches at the club.

Generally, these challenges stemmed from a perception of the

potential coach that did not have the time or required skills to take on

coaching a team.

• One club administrator explained the difference between men and

women in this regard:

“Men at a club will generally say yes to being a coach and fit their

lives in around the new commitment. Where as women are more

likely to first consider the impact taking the coaching role will have

on their family, before making a decision to accept.”

• Unfortunately, many clubs don’t provide prospective coaches with all

the information required to make an informed decision, including

where the role can be flexible to accommodate life and family

commitments. This results in many women saying no, despite a

potential interest or desire to take on the role.

• For women who do take on the responsibilities of coaching, many are

faced with a coach education and development system which

provides very little specific information around the differences

between coaching male and female teams.

• Furthermore, once accredited, the formal female-specific support

structure for ongoing education and training is limited for female

coaches. For women who do not have an established network within

the sport, it can be challenging to find appropriate development

opportunities.

Key Findings



Remuneration of Female Coaches

• Irrespective of a coach’s license/accreditation, level of experience or

gender, a coach of a women’s or girls’ team anecdotally receives a

lower level of remuneration than the coach of an equivalent men’s or

boy’s team.

• As the financial incentives are not as great to coach a women’s or

girls’ team, these positions generally don’t attract the same calibre of

coaches as the men’s or boys’ teams. This is not to say there are not

coaches of female teams of a high calibre – there are many coaches

who are motivated primarily by their passion to develop and grow

women’s and girls’ football. However, there is no doubt the game is

losing quality female coaching talent as a result of coaches being

unable to financially support themselves through coaching a women’s

or girls’ team.

• NPLW and higher community club coaches have identified that

players are missing crucial technical development during the

formative stages of their playing years. This is a consequence of a lack

of quality coaches and the need for many clubs to rely on parents to

volunteer to coach junior girls teams, often without any formal coach

education or training.

Key Findings



4.1 That FV develop a standardised club induction toolkit and process which outline the roles, responsibilities and gender equity expectations

for clubs, players, coaches and parents.

4.2 That FV develop a suite of resources to educate and support clubs to recruit and retain women and girls into volunteer, coaching,

administration and Board/Committee positions, addressing the challenges that women face in becoming involved including the need for

greater flexibility.

4.3 That, in line with industry best practice, FV develop and implement guidelines to protect and respect the rights of women who are

pregnant, breastfeeding or a care giver of a child to participate in football. These guidelines should be aimed at helping clubs support

women to continue to play football.

4.4 That FV develop and implement mentoring programs and guidelines to support clubs with ongoing female coach development and

coaching of female players.

4.5 That FV strongly promote and expand the number of ‘female only’ courses, and enhance the flexibility and delivery of all coach

education options in line with the expansion of women and girls’ football in Victoria.

Recommendations



School Engagement

• Schools provide a key pathway for many young footballers in Victoria.

The strong correlation between the location and concentration of

football clubs with programs for women and girls, and the location of

private schools in Melbourne’s East, demonstrate how important

schools are to the growth of female participation.

• Schools are a gateway for many young girls to experience a range of

different sporting activities for the first time. The schoolyard has

become a competitive ‘marketplace’ for sports to recruit their next

generation of participants.

• In many schools, sports programs are generally delivered through

weekly physical education classes and school sport competitions,

which are commonly run and supervised by classroom teachers. In

many cases, teachers will deliver sports which they are comfortable

with or for which they have been provided with structured lesson

plans and other resources.

• There is also an opportunity for FV to develop a program which helps

develop fundamental physical literacy skills (like kicking and passing a

ball) and use this to spark interest in early primary school students

and to complement a football specific skills program for upper

primary school students.

• One limitation faced by many schools is insufficient open space to

accommodate a full (or even half) size football pitch. This can be a

contributing factor in a teachers decision to not deliver football.

Providing modified game formats which use flexible spaces will

provide football with an advantage over other sports.

Facility Access and Provision

• FV’s State Facilities Strategy identifies the game in Victoria will be up

to 420 full-sized pitches short by 2026, if projected growth continues.

• Through the development and promotion of new and flexible football

participation products, FV can open up new and underutilised spaces

where football can be played. These may include spaces where a

standard 11-a-side football match could not safely take place.

• Opening up new spaces to football through the use of different

formats of the game, FV can take the pressure off existing facilities.

• The review identified that many female teams do not have the same

access to the main pitch as the male teams have. In some examples

provided during the review, some junior boys teams were given

preferential access to the main pitch over a women’s State League

team at the same club.

• Many Councils are also developing gender equality policies for access

to community facilities on council land. This may have an impact on

the ability of some clubs to access pitches if they do not have female

teams within the club.

• Ensuring that clubs have female friendly facilities is essential to

increasing retention of female footballers. Not only do female friendly

facilities provide a safe and inviting environment for women and girls,

it also demonstrates that they are valued members of the club.

Key Findings

G OV E R N M E N T A N D S TA K E H O L D E R S


Facility Access and Provision (Cont.)

• As clubs have introduced women and girls’ football, there has been a

need to create female changerooms. However, in many cases theses

changerooms have either been converted male changerooms or

other areas of the club retro-fitted as a change room. In some cases,

existing infrastructure like urinals have been left in place, and items

like dividers between showers (which are common to not exist in male

changerooms) have not been installed.

Multiple Ways to Engage

• In general, women are more likely than men to engage in a sporting

activity for social rather than competitive reasons. As a result, social

and flexible football participation programs like Summer 7s, Soccer

Mums, Women’s Metro Sevens and Futsal should be given equal

consideration for their ability to grow participation.

• Throughout the consultations many mothers and parents expressed

concerns about the time commitment which playing competitive

football entails often taking time away from family and study

commitments.

• Social forms of the game like Summer 7s provide an outlet where

women can regularly play in a semi-competitive, yet social match of

football without the need to also commit time to training.

• Additionally, new team-based competition structures may assist in

attracting new female participants to the sport, particularly those who

are not comfortable in the traditional club environment.

• Female only competitions also provide a safer and more comfortable

environment for women to try the sport for the first time, however

the more technical and tactical nature of football (compared to the

more physical nature of other rival codes) also present a competitive

advantage for football to have mixed team competitions.

• Mixed teams should never be the only option for women and girls to

play football in social formats, and there should always be a female-

only option available to them.

Key Findings



5.1 That FV continue to enhance its relationships with, and support of, schools and LGAs. This should include proactively collaborating on

club support initiatives which specifically prioritise women and girls’ football participation growth.

5.2 That, in line with industry best practice, FV develop ‘Female Friendly Facilities’ guidelines, in partnership with facility providers, to

support the current State Football Facilities Strategy. This should outline minimum requirements for all new and redeveloped facilities.

Longer-term Considerations

• That FV engage with the Department of Education, private schools, LGAs and private facility owners to explore opportunities to access

underutilised facilities. This needs to be strategically targeted to high-priority geographic regions with opportunities to expand women and

girls’ participation.

• That FV work in partnership with SSV and the Department of Education to develop and implement a small-sided, girls-only football

competition for upper primary and lower secondary school students. The competition should complement existing school football

competitions by targeting new players and maximising enjoyment and social interaction.

• That FV create curriculum to be delivered at pre-school and primary school year levels to increase the fundamental movement skills of

children through football and to build a connection with the game.

Recommendations



S T R AT E G I C F R A M E W O R K

Strategic Objective: Our aim is to ultimately increase female participation in the game to reach 50:50 participation

by 2027

Culture Players Referees Clubs and CoachesGovernment and

Stakeholders

• Develop a Women and Girls’

Football Strategy

• Mandate “40/40/20” gender

equity quotas across all

levels of governance in the

game in Victoria by 2024

• Conduct a review of football

resourcing to support the

implementation of the

Women and Girls’ Football

Strategy

• Phase single age groups

into the girls’ competition

structure

• Ensure under-13 game

formats maximises

enjoyment, social interaction

and retention in football

• Launch a new, state-wide

division of competition for

senior women in between

NPLW and State Leagues

• Implement promotion and

relegation between the new

competition and the NPLW

• De-couple senior and junior

NPLW programs and refine

the optimal model for junior

girls competitions

• Allow NPLW clubs the

opportunity to increase the

maximum junior squad size

• Conduct a review of the

talented female player

pathway in Victoria

• Conduct a review of the

Referees’ Branches across

Victoria to significantly

enhance the service delivery

and overall experience for

referees

• Develop a suite of resources

to support referee branches

to recruit and retain women

and girls

• Develop and implement a

formalised mentoring

program to support the

ongoing development and

retention of female referees

• Expand the delivery of

‘female only’ referee

development courses

• Introduce ‘female only’

training sessions and fitness

testing

• Communicate the Referee

Pathway including all

educational, training and

supporting resources

available to referees

• Develop a standardised club

induction toolkit and

process

• Develop resources to

support clubs to recruit and

retain women and girls into

volunteer, coaching,

administration and

Board/Committee positions

• Develop guidelines which

protect and respect the

rights of women who are

pregnant, breastfeeding or a

care giver of a child

• Implement mentoring

programs and guidelines to

support clubs with ongoing

female coach development

• Expand the number, and

enhance the flexibility of,

‘female only’ course

education options

• Continue to enhance the FV

relationship with, and

support of, LGAs

• Develop ‘Female Friendly

Facilities’ guideline to

support the current State

Football Facilities Strategy

SURVEY SUMMARY


R E S P O N D E N T P R O F I L E

Q. Does your club have both female and male teams?

19%

81%

Male

Female

Gender

85%

13%

2%

Yes, my club has both female and male

teams

No, my club only has female teams

No, my club only has male teams

Club Composition

Q. What is your gender?

9%

26%

15%

7%

5%

7%

17%

11%

1%

0%

5 - 10 years

11 - 14 years

15 - 18 years

19 - 24 years

25 - 29 years

30 - 39 years

40 - 49 years

50 - 59 years

60 - 69 years

70+ years

Respondent Age Group

Q. In which age bracket are you currently in?


R E S P O N D E N T P R O F I L E

40%

39%

8%

4%

3%

1%

1%

3%

I am a currently registered football player

My child is a currently registered footballplayer

Coach

Club Administrator

Club Committee Member (other thanabove)

Referee

None of the above

Other (please specify)

Respondent Main Role

15%

11%

9%

9%

8%

8%

8%

7%

6%

5%

5%

4%

3%

2%

1%

Women’s State League (Seniors)

Metropolitan All Girls

NPLW

Summer Sevens

NPL Girls

Metropolitan Juniors (U12-U18 includingboys)

School football

Metropolitan Mini-Roos girls

Regional Girl’s League (Juniors)

Regional Women’s League (Seniors)


FV Futsal

Regional Mini-Roos girls

Metropolitan Small Sided Games

Women’s Metro Sevens

Competition

Q. Which of the following female competitions were you involved in throughout 2018? (select all that apply)

Q. Which of the following best describes your main role in football?

I am a currently registered football

player

My child is a currently registered

football player

Coach

Club Administrator

Club Committee Member (other

than above)

Referee

None of the above


Women’s State League (Seniors)

Metropolitan All Girls

NPLW

Summer Sevens

NPL Girls

Metropolitan Juniors (U12-U18

including boys)

School football

Metropolitan Mini-Roos girls

Regional Girl’s League (Juniors)

Regional Women’s League (Seniors)


FV Futsal

Regional Mini-Roos girls

Metropolitan Small Sided Games

Women’s Metro Sevens


S AT I S FAC T I O N A N D R E T E N T I O N

16%

36%

33%

8%

4%

3%

Extremely satisfied

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Extremely dissatisfied

Overall Satisfaction

60%

20%

11%

4%

2%

3%

Certain to

Very likely

Fairly likely

Fairly unlikely

Very unlikely

Certain not to

Retention Likelihood (12-24 Months)

Q. How likely are you to continue playing football in the next 12-24 months?Q. How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with your most recent experience of playing/coaching/refereeing or involvement in football (over the duration of the 2018 season)?

85% 91%

Total Satisfaction Retention Likelihood


Q U A L I TAT I V E R E S P O N S E S

Strengths Weaknesses Improvements

Players

n=371

• Teammates, health benefits,

developing skills and the

camaraderie within the team

• The coaches ability to encourage

and empower players

• Increased participation and the

improved depth and skill lifts the

strength and competitiveness of

the competition

• Culture within clubs, WNPL senior

players provide great role models

for younger girls

• The number and quality of referees

• The number and quality of coaches -

more resources needed for

support and development

• Women's football not given equal

opportunity compared to men

• No promotion and relegation in

WNPL. Poor grading of community

football

• The quality and access to facilities

• Invest into referees through

education and development to

improve the quality and number

• Review competition structure,

including promotion and

relegation and grading and

regrading to ensure even

competition

• Create equal resources, support and

access for both men and women

• Improve the quality and access to

facilities, especially female only

change rooms

Coaches

n=73

• Increase in participation and the

successful pathway between

community and WNPL football

• Growth, development and helping

girls reach potential

• Increase in the support and

recognition of women and girls’

football - seen as a genuine

pathway

• More women becoming involved in

coaching and administration roles

• Quality of refereeing

• Player numbers, clubs stacking

players and grading issues are

causing disparity in competition

and increasing travel times

• Lack of experienced coaches

willing to take on senior women's

teams

• Quality and access to facilities -

preference given to male teams

• Improve the quality of referees,

through development and

education

• Better alignment and structure of

WNPL and community football,

allowing better grading and more

even competition

• Improve facilities (change rooms),

better and equal access to grounds

• Clearly define elite pathway

Below is a snapshot of the key themes raised by the various respondent segments through the online survey – regarding the women and girls’ football

pathway.


Q U A L I TAT I V E R E S P O N S E S

Strengths Weaknesses Improvements

Parents

n=357

• Social aspects - creating new

friendships and supporting each

other through the team

environment

• Coaches mentoring and

empowering girls to reach their

potential

• The ability and number of women

participating increases each year

• The success of the Matildas and

the growth of W-League through

TV and Telstra app coverage

• Inequality in accessing facilities,

grounds, coaching and referees

• Perception and culture that

women's football is inferior to

men’s football

• Participation numbers and grading

is distorting the competition

forcing girls to play with the boys

• The number and quality of

coaches - increased education and

development programs for women’s

and girls’ coaches

• For the women's game to receive

the same respect that the men’s

games does

• Equal access to facilities, including

change rooms

• Increased support for coaches

through education and

development to improve and attract

new coaches

• Increase the number and quality of

referees, seen as a second priority

compared to men’s game

Administrators

n=64

• Social aspects - inclusive and

belonging to a community of

women and girls’

• Increased participation and

opportunities for women and girls

to play

• Women's pathway is strong and

improving, opportunities to play in

the W-League

• The number of clubs and teams

continue to grow, improving the

strength and depth of talent

• Grading of teams, age group gaps

and the varying range in abilities

across some teams

• Lack of grounds and quality in

facilities (e.g. change rooms)

• Quality of coaching requires an

injection of resources and support

• More women involved in

coaching, refereeing and

volunteer positions to continue to

grow the game

• Removal of self grading and the

introduction of single age groups

• Referee, coach and volunteer

mentoring and development to

increase the number of women in

the game

• Increase and improve the number of

facilities, specifically change rooms

• Reduce the cost of participating,

especially the WNPL

Below is a snapshot of the key themes raised by the various respondent segments through the online survey – regarding the women and girls’ football

pathway.


P E R C E P T I O N S O F E Q U A L I T Y

39%

32%

27%

26%

26%

25%

19%

16%

16%

13%

40%

38%

40%

37%

35%

42%

46%

28%

27%

22%

15%

13%

14%

16%

19%

16%

15%

14%

17%

25%

3%

11%

13%

11%

12%

10%

14%

25%

24%

20%

3%

6%

6%

9%

8%

7%

6%

17%

17%

20%

My club actively recruits male players.

My club actively recruits female players.

My club provides fair and reasonabledevelopment opportunities to all players

regardless of their gender.

My Club has diverse representation of gender onthe Board/Committee.

My club actively encourages and supportswomen to become coaches.

My club provides fair and reasonabledevelopment opportunities to all coaches


Female teams have fair and reasonable accessto training times which are convenient.

Female teams have the same level of access to pitches as men’s teams.

Female players are provided with the samepathway opportunities as male players to reach

their full playing potential.

Female coaches are given fair and reasonableopportunities to coach male teams.

Equality Perceptions

Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree or Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements:

My club actively recruits male players.

My club actively recruits female players.

My club provides fair and reasonable

development opportunities to all players


My Club has diverse representation of gender on

the Board/Committee.

My club actively encourages and supports women

to become coaches.

My club provides fair and reasonable

development opportunities to all coaches


Female teams have fair and reasonable access to

training times which are convenient.

Female teams have the same level of access to

pitches as men’s teams.

Female players are provided with the same

pathway opportunities as male players to reach

their full playing potential.

Female coaches are given fair and reasonable

opportunities to coach male teams.


S T R AT E G I C M A P P I N G

Strategic mapping involves charting the ratings for satisfaction and importance across a number of different aspects to provide a broad strategic

indicator of the key areas of focus for the Women and Girls’ Review.

Please note that these charts are relative, and each element is scored against the others.

Sati

sfacti

on

Importance

KEY STRENGTHMAINTENANCE

SECONDARY IMPROVEMENT KEY IMPROVEMENT

• High Satisfaction

• Low Importance

(Mean out of 5.0)

(Mean

ou

t o

f 6.0

)

• High Importance

• High Satisfaction

• Low Importance

• Low Satisfaction

• High Importance

• Low Satisfaction

How to read the strategic map



SECONDARY IMPROVEMENT

KEY STRENGTHS

KEY IMPROVEMENTS

MAINTENANCE

Sati

sfact

ion

Importance

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

LM

N

The following strategic map displays the ratings for satisfaction and importance across a number of different aspects. The letter references are provided

on the following page.



SECONDARY IMPROVEMENT

KEY STRENGTHS

KEY IMPROVEMENTS

MAINTENANCE

Sati

sfact

ion

Importance

The following strategic map displays the ratings for satisfaction and importance across a number of different aspects.

• J: Access to dedicated female change rooms

• L: Personal costs of participating (equipment, travel etc.)

• M: The price point for players (club fees, coaching etc.)

• H: Access to support services, such as doctors and

physiotherapists

• E: Having ‘Gala Days’ for NPLW Clubs

• G: Time required to travel to games/training

• A: Technical skills or knowledge of coaches

• C: Quality of club administration and organisation

• D: Club/competition environment/culture

• N: The support provided by my club

• K: Feeling safe and welcomed at my club

• B: Quality of referees/officials

• F: Quality of pitches and facilities

• I: Access to a suitable place to change before/after

training or a game


P U R P O S E O F T H E PAT H WAY

31%

29%

19%

14%

6%

2%

18%

29%

28%

17%

1%

6%

To provide an elite pathway for players/coaches/referees to

reach their potential

To provide a fun and welcoming environment where women

and girls can enjoy playing football

To provide accessible and high-quality football experiences

across the whole of Victoria

To provide a structure which prepares

players/coaches/referees with the capacity to

play/coach/referee W-League


To showcase Victoria's best football clubs and player talent

Purpose of the Women and Girls’ Pathway

Primary Purpose Also Important

Q. What do you believe is the main purpose of the women’s football pathway? (please select one only)

Q. Excluding the main purpose, which of the following do you believe are also highly important? (please select up to two more options)


reach their potential


and girls can enjoy playing football


across the whole of Victoria





To showcase Victoria's best football clubs and player talent


P L AY E R M O T I VAT I O N S

19%

18%

12%

11%

10%

9%

8%

6%

2%

2%

2%

1%

For exercise and health benefits

For my own development and to improvemy own ability/skills

To simply have fun

For the sense of belonging to a team orcommunity

For the competition

To do something I am good at

For the social interaction

To spend time with or support my friends

To spend time with or support my family

To relax and unwind

To give back to the sport


Motivation (Play)

27%

23%

10%

9%

6%

5%

3%

2%

13%

It was the closest club to me

I knew someone else who played at theclub

It had the best coaching staff

It had a strong on-field performance

My brother played at the club

My parent/guardian volunteered at theclub

My sister played at the club

My parent/guardian played at the club


Motivation (Join Club)

Q. The following are some of the factors which shape an individual’s decision to join a specific club. Please select which of the following statements apply to you. (please select your top three reasons)

Q. The following are some of the reasons that women and girls have identified as to why they continue to be involved in football. Please select which of the following statements apply to you. (please select your top three reasons)

For exercise and health benefits

For my own development and to

improve my own ability/skills

To simply have fun

For the sense of belonging to a team

or community

For the competition

To do something I am good at

For the social interaction

To spend time with or support my

friends

To spend time with or support my

family

To relax and unwind

To give back to the sport


It was the closest club to me

I knew someone else who played at

the club

It had the best coaching staff

It had a strong on-field performance

record

My brother played at the club

My parent/guardian volunteered at

the club

My sister played at the club

My parent/guardian played at the

club



R E A S O N T O D I S C O N T I N U E

16%

13%

11%

11%

8%

8%

7%

4%

4%

3%

16%

The cost to participate becomes too high

It’s is longer fun to play

I no longer feel supported by my club

Increasing work/study commitments

I no longer feel supported by my team

Increasing family commitments

The standard of competition becomes too low

I no longer feel safe at my club

The standard of competition becomes too high/too

serious

The cost of equipment becomes too high


Reasons to Discontinue Playing

Q. The following are some of the reasons people discontinue playing football. Which of the following reasons do you think are most likely to impact your decision to discontinue playing football in the future?(please select up to five reasons)

“Other” responses include:

• Club politics

• No longer being able to

play with friends

• Standard of coaching

• Poor

behaviour/sportsmanship

• Trying a different sport

• Pre-existing injury

• Age

The cost to participate becomes too high

It is no longer fun to play

I no longer feel supported by my club

Increasing work/study commitments

I no longer feel supported by my team

Increasing family commitments

The standard of competition becomes too low

I no longer feel safe at my club

The standard of competition becomes too high/too serious

The cost of equipment becomes too high



A L L O C AT I O N O F F V R E S O U RC E S

1%

3%

17%

29%

49%

Women’s football receives significantly more resources

and support

Women’s football receives slightly more resources and

support

Men’s and women’s football receive about the same level

of resources and support

Men’s football receives slightly more resources and

support

Men’s football receives significantly more resources and

support

Allocation of FV Resources

Q. Which of the following best describes the allocation of resources and support at Football Victoria?

Women’s football receives significantly more resources

and support


support

Men’s and women’s football receive about the same level

of resources and support

Men’s football receives slightly more resources and

support


support


P R E F E R R E D DAY S O F W E E K

16%

24%

21%

26%

9%

1%

2%

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Train (Actual)

1%

0%

0%

0%

4%

21%

72%

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Play (Actual)

Q. Which days of the week does your team currently train and play matches?

2%

1%

2%

1%

9%

35%

61%

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Play (Preferred)

18%

29%

22%

31%

9%

2%

1%

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Train (Preferred)

Q. Regardless of current scheduling, which days of the week would you prefer to train

and play matches? (select all that apply)

Q. Which days of the week does your team currently train and play matches?

Q. Regardless of current scheduling, which days of the week would you prefer to train

and play matches? (select all that apply)


S U R V E Y S U M M A RY

43%

26%

31%

Yes

No

Unsure

Dual Age Group

40%

22%

38%

Yes

No

Unsure

Additional Travel

Q. Do you believe the current dual age group structure of metropolitan girls

competitions provides the optimal competition experience for junior girls in Victoria?

0%

1%

11%

47%

30%

11%

0-9 minutes

10-19 minutes

20-29 minutes

30-59 minutes

60-90 minutes

More than 90 minutes

Additional Travel Time

18%

34%

48%

Yes

No

Unsure

Self Grading

Q. Do you believe the current system of ‘self-grading’ teams provides the optimal

competition experience for girls in Victoria?

Q. If FV were to introduce a single age group structure would you be prepared to

spend more time travelling to matches?

Q. What is the maximum time you be willing to spend travelling to attend a match?

SITUATION ANALYSIS & BENCHMARKING


Football in Victoria has a strong participation base, with 69,401 total

registered participants. Women and girls participants represent

approximately 19% of the total playing population or 13,058 total

participants.

There are over 360 football clubs across Victoria, however only 200 of

these clubs run women’s and girls’ football programs. The majority of

these clubs (133) are in community football competitions with the

remaining being regional clubs (58) and NPLW clubs (9).

In addition to FV sanctioned competitions, there are also other football

pathways and competitions which provide opportunities for women and

girls to play football, including: Private and public school competitions;

Universities; Churches Leagues; Futsal; VicSoccer, and; Bayside Football

Association.

The premier competition for women and girls’ football in Victoria is the

NPLW competition. NPLW competition comprises of 9 teams plus a

Football Victoria NTC team. The competition is structured across five age

divisions; seniors, under 19s, under 16s, under 14s and under 12s.

Community football is structured regionally with four divisions (North,

East, South and West) across the state. In State Leagues 1 and 2, these

divisions are combined to form two divisions; North-East and South-

West. State League 1 also has a Reserves League competition. Girls

community football is structured into 4 regions, with each competition’s

divisions varying based on the number of teams entered in each region.

W O M E N A N D G I R L S ’ F O O T B A L L I N V I C T O R I A

Competition2018 Women and

Girls’ Participation

NPLW Seniors (19+) 157

NPLW Juniors (U12-U18) 579

NPLW Miniroos 46

Sub-Total: 782

Community Senior (19+) 2,949

Community Junior (12-18) 5,214

Community Miniroos (11 & under) 4,113

Sub-Total: 12,276

Total Women and Girls’ Participation: 13,058

NPLW

North-West South-East

North West South East

State League 1

State League 2

NPLW

State League 3

State League 4

Junior Girls Football

Victorian Women and Girls’ Football

Competition Structure


P L AY E R R E T E N T I O N A N A LY S I S

A detailed data analysis of the FV registered football player database

was conducted to understand the overall level of retention and attrition

within the sport.

The chart to the right shows year-on-year comparisons for the retention,

recruitment and recovery of female players, as well as how many female

players left the sport.

Despite overall growth in football participation by women and girls over

the 5 years analysed (up 21%), the chart shows that FV is currently

experiencing a decline in the recruitment of new female players (down

8%) while also experiencing an increase in the number of players leaving

the sport each year (up 19%). This has been masked by an increase in

the retention of current players (up 29%) and an increase of players

returning to the sport after one or more years (up 49%).

FV still loses over one-third (34%) of female players each year. If the

game can reduce this rate to 20%, the FV would see over 1,800

additional female participants retained in the sport.

Overall Retention Analysis

-3,580 -3,824 -4,053 -4,252

6,5346,983

7,9248,405

10,114

4,273

4,497

4,0903,912

497

643741

-4,500

500

5,500

10,500

2014

(10,114)

2015

(10,807)

2016

(11,977)

2017

(12,657)

2018

(13,058)

Year on Year Retention

RetainedRenewed member from

the previous year.

Recruited A new member.

RecoveredReturning member after

gap in membership.

Lapsed No longer a member.

Legend



Further analysis of the retention data by age shows that the declining

recruitment of new players has primarily been driven by senior women,

which has stagnated over the last 3 years (down 2%). The overall growth

in senior women playing football can largely be attributed to an increase

in the number of players returning to the sport (up 63%).

For junior girls, retention has increased 33% over the last 5 years, with

the game now retaining or recovering over two-thirds of junior girls

(67%).

Interestingly, there is a spike in the recruitment of junior girls in 2016

(14% growth). This could be attributed to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World

Cup and highlights the importance for FV to have adequate programs in

place to capture new participants from the increased interest in football

after the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Age and Retention Analysis

RetainedRenewed member from

the previous year.

Recruited A new member.

RecoveredReturning member after

gap in membership.

Lapsed No longer a member.

Legend

-2,216 -2,344 -2,594 -2,692

4,651 5,030 5,689 5,9617354

3,1783,626

3,199 3,063

132 254

-2,700

-900

900

2,700

4,500

6,300

8,100

2014

(7,354)

2015

(7,829)

2016

(8,656)

2017

(9,020)

2018

(9,273)

Year on Year Retention (Juniors)

-1,364 -1,479 -1,458 -1,560

1,882 1,953 2,084 2,2322,758

1,095 871 891 851

254327 415

-1,600

-800

0

800

1,600

2,400

3,200

2014

(2,758)

2015

(2,977)

2016

(3,078)

2017

(3,302)

2018

(3,498)

Year on Year Retention (Seniors)


NPLW Players in Initial Year Community Football Players in Initial Year

Year Remained in NPLWMoved to

Community FootballNo Longer Playing

Remained in

Community FootballMoved to NPLW No Longer Playing

2017 – 2018 71% 14% 15% 63% 2% 35%

2016 – 2017 58% 18% 24% 62% 3% 35%


A detailed data analysis of the FV registered football player database

was conducted to understand the overall level of retention and attrition

within the sport.

The below analysis focused specifically on year-on-year comparisons

between the NPLW and Community Football in terms of players who

change clubs, players who change between the NPLW and Community

Football divisions, and players who leave the game all together. The

results highlight the concerning proportion of players who are leaving

the sport from both NPLW and Community competitions each year and

demonstrate the importance of understanding why women and girls are

leaving the game.

The chart to the right demonstrates the age distribution of registered

women and girls players – and the leagues they are currently playing in

(2018 data).

The detailed tables and analysis can be found in the appendix.

Football Age and Retention Analysis

0

400

800

1,200

<8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17-18

Age of Registered Junior Girl’s Players

(2018)

0

400

800

1,200

19-22 23-25 26-29 30-34 35+

Age of Registered Senior Women’s Players

(2018)

NPLW Community


An analysis of results and goal difference in the score line from the last

five seasons of women’s and girls’ football matches has been conducted

to compare changes in the level of competitiveness over time.

Since the introduction of the NPLW in 2016, top-level junior football

matches have become more competitive, with the average goal

difference dropping from 3.0 in 2014 to 1.8 in 2018. Conversely, despite

some initial improvements, top-level senior matches have become less

competitive, with the average goal difference increasing from 2.6 in 2014

to 3.2 in 2018.

The competitiveness of community football matches at both the senior

and junior level has remained consistent over the five year period.

The detailed tables and analysis can be found in the appendix.

Match Competitiveness Analysis

M AT C H C O M P E T I T I V E N E S S

Top-Level Football* Community Football

Senior* Junior* Senior Junior

SeasonAve. Goal

Difference0-4 Goals 5+ Goals

Ave. Goal


Ave. Goal


Ave. Goal


2018 3.2 77% 23% 1.8 88% 12% 2.8 79% 21% 2.9 79% 21%

2017 2.0 88% 12% 2.0 92% 8% 2.7 81% 19% 2.8 80% 20%

2016 1.9 92% 8% 2.1 89% 11% 2.7 82% 18% 2.9 78% 22%

2015 2.1 82% 18% 2.8 78% 22% 2.8 79% 21% 2.9 78% 22%

2014 2.6 83% 17% 3.0 74% 26% 2.9 77% 23% 3.0 81% 19%

*Note: For the purpose of analysis, the Women's Premier League results from 2014 and 2015 have been included in the Top-Level Senior data. Similarly, all ‘A-Grade’ junior football

during these years has been included with the Top-Level Junior data.

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Average Goal Difference

Top-Level Senior Football* Top-Level Junior Football*

Senior Community Football Junior Community Football

NPLW

Launched


The table below provides a comparison between women and girls’ participation within Football Victoria and the NPLW, and other Victorian State Sport

Organisations and state-based elite competitions. Descriptions of the women and girls’ pathway for each sport can be found on the following pages.

State Elite Competition Benchmarking

W O M E N A N D G I R L S ’ PAT H WAY B E N C H M A R K I N G

Total Participation* 286,500 474,633 225,000 426,959 372,200 N/A‡

Total Registered Participants 69,401 330,544 115,375 205,239 240,000 19,056

Total Female Participants 13,058 127,115 112,126 115,283 84,000 8,194

Percentage of Female Participants 19% 38% 97% 27% 35% 43%

Pathway Competition NPLW VFLW TAC Cup Girls VNLPremier

CricketBig V

Premier

League

Number of Clubs (Vic) 10 13 12 10 8 14 16

Number of Teams/Squads 5 1 1 3 2 3 1

Players per Team/Squad 20 38 40 10 11 15 24

Total Players in Pathway Competition 1,000 494 480 300 792 630 384

Length of Standard Season (Weeks) 27 16 9 18 17 22 20

Finals (Weeks) 2 3 1 3 3 4 4

Elite Pathway v Total Female

Participants1 in 13 1 in 130 1 in 362 1 in 146 1 in 133 1 in 21

* Sport Australia AusPlay Participation Data; ‡ Not in the 15 sports/activities in Victoria; Includes Football Victoria NTC Program


Junior Netball

Association

Championships

State Titles

Super Netball Team

ANL

21&U State Team

19&U State Team

17&U State Team

NetSetGO

Victorian Netball

League

Championship

Division 1

19 & Under

Broad Purpose: Develop players to be contracted to a Super Netball

team and ultimately play for the Australian Diamonds.

Netball in Victoria has a large participation base with approximately

115,000 registered participants. Talented players are first identified by their

local associations and trial to be selected in the Association’s representative

team. Talented players are then invited to trial for the regional team to

compete at the State Titles. This tournament provides an opportunity to

select players for the relevant aged state teams.

Victorian Netball League (VNL) Clubs are able to contract a player in the

year they turn 15 years old. There are no restrictions on where a player can

be selected from. Each club has 3 teams in separate divisions, with only the

19 & under division being restricted by age (maximum age). Talented

players aged 19 & under can play in higher divisions if they are selected.

The VNL serves as a pathway competition for the Australian Netball League

and Super Netball competitions.

Netball Victoria



Broad Purpose: To develop players to play in the WNBL and ultimately

represent Australia as a member of the Opals.

Talented players are first identified through their domestic (local) club

competition and are invited to try-out for a club/team that competes in the

Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL). The VJBL has age groups from

under 12 to under 20, with multiple divisions per age group. There are over

1,700 male and female teams across the 56 clubs which compete in the

VJBL.

Once a player turns 21, they need to try-out for a club which competes in

the Big V competition. This is a state-wide competition with two streams; an

elite (senior) stream and a player development (under 23) stream. Each

stream has with three divisions, the State Championship being the highest

level of competition. Each club is only eligible to enter one team per

stream.

A promotion and relegation system is in place and the team that wins the

divisional championship may apply to be promoted if they meet pre-

determined on and off-court criteria which includes; pathway and historical

performance, governance, financial management, promotion and

marketing, venue standard and previous game attendance.

Aussie Hoops

Victorian Junior Basketball

League

Big V

Player Development Stream

Big V

Elite Stream

WNBL / SEABL

Hoop Time

Domestic Club Competition

Basketball Victoria



Broad Purpose: Develop players to be drafted on to an AFLW club list.

AFL in Victoria has a significant participation base with over 460,000

participants. In recent years, women’s AFL has enjoyed a surge in popularity

on the back of the introduction of the AFLW competition. Women and girls

participation in AFL in Victoria now exceeds 100,000 participants. AFL

Victoria has over 747 clubs which offer a women’s AFL program.

Talented players are identified through junior football programs and the

U/16 School Sport Victoria team. From here they can be selected in

development squads which sit within a TAC Cup club. These underage

squads form the AFL Victoria Youth Girls Academies.

The TAC Cup competition is a state-based Under 18 competition where

each team can select a squad of up to 45 players. The best players from the

TAC Cup are selected for the Victorian U18 State Teams (Country and

Metro), which compete at the AFL U18 Championships. This provides

players with additional player development opportunities.

The TAC Cup serves as a pathway competition to identify talent for the

AFLW draft. Players who aren’t selected in the AFLW draft may be

contracted to a VFLW club.

The VFLW has 13 teams (including 1 team from the Northern Territory),

with squads of between 30 and 50. Some teams are aligned with AFL/VFL

clubs. The VFLW competition runs separately to the AFLW season and

players from the AFLW, including interstate players use it as another

opportunity to develop their skills for the upcoming AFLW season. Because

of this the VFLW also acts as a pathway into the AFLW.

AFL Victoria

Junior Football

TAC Cup Girls

AFL AusKick

U16 SSV

VFLW

AFLW

AFL U18 National

Championships



Broad Purpose: To develop players to make the Victoria domestic state

teams and ultimately make the Australian Cricket Team.

There are over 115,000 women and girls’ cricket participants in Victoria,

27% of all players in Victoria.

Junior Blasters is a program aimed at 5-7 year olds to teach them the basic

skills of cricket. This is the pathway that leads junior players into playing

junior cricket.

Talented cricketers are first identified through junior cricket competitions

and are selected to trial in the School Sports Victoria team which compete

at the 12 & Under National Championships. Talented players are selected

by Cricket Victoria in the Under-15 and Under-18 state Academies, where

squads at both age groups are split into a Victorian Metro and Country

squad.

The best women and girls’ players in Victoria are selected to play at the U18

National Championships. The junior pathway feeds into Premier Cricket

where they play One Day and 20/20 format games. The Premier League is

the pathway for selection into the Cricket Victoria women's team.

Junior Blasters

U/18 State Steam

Premier Cricket

Cricket Victoria

U/18 Academy

U/15 Academy

Junior Cricket

SSV 12&U

Cricket Victoria

Southern Stars

WBBL



Broad Purpose: To establish and implement programs that ensure

talented athletes are provided with the best opportunity to reach their

full potential.

The Hookin2Hockey and Stick2Hockey are programs aimed at teaching

under 10 players the basic skills of hockey in order to prepare them for

competition. These programs feed into junior hockey, where talented

players have the opportunity to be selected for their state junior teams.

The Hockey Victoria Academy selects 300 players in the under 13, under 15

and under 18 ages groups. The academies are structured around the

national tournament, where players are selected through the junior state

teams and a two-day draft camp.

The Premier League is the top competition in Victoria and is the pathway

for talented juniors. Players playing within the premier league are eligible to

be selected for the Australian Hockey League, where they will represent

their respective states. The Australian Hockey League acts as a talent

identification tournament where players are selected for the national squad.

Hockey Victoria

Hookin2Hokey

Premier League

Australian Hockey

League

National Selection

Junior State Teams(U12, U14, U16, U18, U21)

Stick2Hockey

Junior Hockey

HV Academy (U13, U15, U18)



Organisation/FederationFootball

Victoria

Football

Federation

Australia

US Soccer

German

Football

Association

The FA

French

Football

Federation

Soccer

Canada

Total Registered Participants 69,401 527,487 11,924,000 6,309,000 11,800,000 1,795,000 865,712

Total Registered Female

Participants13,058 113,207 429,264 209,713 2,900,000 106,612 85,000

Percentage of Women and Girls

Participants19% 21% 36% 3% 25% 6% 10%

FIFA Women’s World Ranking 6 (Australia) 6 1 2 3 4 5

Youth Talent Pathway NTCNTC/Young

Matildas

US Soccer

Development

Academy

Talent

Development

Programme

The FA Girls’

England Talent

Pathway

INF

Clairefontaine

EXCEL

Program

Developmental Priority - -

High

performance

and individual

talent

Elite

performance

standards

Sustainable

player

development

High

performance

and individual

skill

development

Healthy and

active athletes

International Benchmarking

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PAT H WAY B E N C H M A R K I N G

The table below provides a comparison between women and girls participation within Football Victoria, Football Federation Australia and the top 5

national football federations based on the FIFA Women’s Rankings. Also provided is the youth talent pathway program for talented female players and

the key developmental priority of each pathway program.

DOCUMENT REVIEW SUMMARY


As part of the Women and Girls’ Competition Review a detailed review of

17 key documents and written submissions, shared with SBP and FV, was

completed. These documents included:

• FIFA Women’s Football Strategy

• FFA Gender Equality Action Plan 2019

• FFA National Review of Female Competitions Report

• FFA Cost of Football Review 2018

• FFA National Participation Report

• FV State Facilities Strategy 2018

• FV Facilities Audit

• FNSW Women’s Competition Review

• Male Champions of Change – Pathway to Pay Equality

• Change Our Game – Girls in Sport Summit Report

• Change Our Game – Girls in Sport Summit Evaluation of Participant

Feedback

• Change Our Game – Girls in Sport Summit Key Insights

• Inquiry into Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation

• Guidelines for the Promotion of Equal Opportunity for Women and

Girls in Golf

• AFL National Female Community Guidelines

• Written Submissions from:

• Glen Eira Football Club

• ACHPER

• Professional Footballers Association (PFA)

From the detailed review of the key documents the following key

insights have been taken into consideration in the development of the

key findings and recommendations:

• Based on projected participation growth through to 2026, there is a

shortage of between 260 and 420 Full-Size Equivalent pitches in

Victoria. – FV State Facilities Strategy 2018

• Only 16% of football venues in Victoria have female changerooms

and only 63% of these facilities have female friendly changerooms (i.e.

enclosed showers and pan toilets). – FV State Facilities Strategy 2018

• Almost half of the girls who stop playing football report they do so

because “the clubs do not treat girls’ teams equal to boys”. – FFA

Gender Equality Action Plan 2019

• The focus of Member Federations and Associations should be

establishing under-6 girls-only competitions to allow the girls

involved to naturally progress and subsequent age-group

competitions can be created to meet this demand. – FFA National

Review of Female Competitions Report

• Top 3 reasons for women and girls to play sport at club level are: To

have fun, To improve my skills; and, Know someone involved at the

club. – Change Our Game – Girls in Sport Summit Report

• Greater support, reassurance and encouragement from the club,

team, family and the community would encourage more women to

take on leadership roles within sport. – Change Our Game – Girls in

Sport Summit Report

D O C U M E N T R E V I E W S U M M A RY


The table below provides a comparison of women and girls participation across all FFA Member Federations.

National Benchmarking

N AT I O N A L PA R T I C I PAT I O N B E N C H M A R K I N G

National VIC NSW QLD NNSW ACT TAS SA NT WA

Total Participants 1,846,992 352,798 939,897 168,361 93,868 39,386 18,227 69,846 8,445 152,809

Registered Participants 527,650 69,376 238,459 70,273 52,579 16,651 11,668 24,287 4,289 40,068

Number of Female

Registered Participants113,346 13,774 54,456 13,410 12,129 4,341 3,089 4,384 948 6,815

% of Registered Female

Participation21% 20% 20% 19% 23% 26% 26% 18% 22% 17%

Miniroos

Participants

Total 227,733 26,683 102,073 33,283 25,253 7,804 6,431 8,116 1,725 16,365

Female 46,086 4,838 22,150 4,936 5,966 1,867 1,749 1,523 388 2,669

% Female 20% 18% 22% 15% 24% 24% 27% 19% 22% 16%

Youth

Participants

Total 161,849 26,750 66,314 23,246 15,033 5,089 3,432 7,684 1,235 13,066

Female 39,042 5,816 18,203 4,930 3,616 1,502 912 1,543 255 2,265

% Female 24% 22% 27% 21% 24% 30% 27% 20% 21% 17%

Senior

Participants

Total 138,068 15,943 70,072 13,744 12,293 3,758 1,805 8,487 1,329 10,637

Female 28,218 3,120 14,103 3,544 2,547 972 428 1,318 305 1,881

% Female 20% 20% 20% 26% 21% 26% 24% 16% 23% 18%


The table below provides a comparison of the player registration fees charged by each of the Member Federations.

National Player Registration Fee Benchmarking

N AT I O N A L C O S T B E N C H M A R K I N G

FFA* VIC NSW QLD NNSW ACT TAS SA NT WA

MiniRoos $14 $58 $24-$30 $31 $13-$25 $52 $30 $44-$68 $67-$130 $65

Youth $14 $86 $34-$42 $31 $34 $88 $41-$102 $44-$68 $77-$177 $83-$99

Senior $33 $177-$192 $88-$109 $73 $105 $215 $125 $62-$95 $180-$310 $150

* FFA National Registration Fee (NRF)

Note: Member Federation fee includes NRF. Prices applicable to metro areas. Amateur players only. Does not include additional fees (e.g. Team Entry)

Source: FFA Cost of Football 2018


The table below provides a comparison of the cost of football participation across all FFA Member Federations.

National Playing Costs Benchmarking

N AT I O N A L C O S T B E N C H M A R K I N G

National* VIC NSW QLD NNSW ACT TAS SA NT WA

MiniRoosMale $247 $405 $220 $267 $177 $182 $101 $405 $ $236

Female $214 $325 $211 $247 $169 $178 $95 $268 $ $196

Community

Youth

Male $326 $463 $267 $346 $240 $222 $209 $595 $ $300

Female $297 $422 $267 $310 $253 $257 $220 $385 $ $275

Community

Senior

Male $339 $391 $339 $390 $351 $369 $319 $97 $ $356

Female $339 $386 $325 $363 $335 $348 $317 $300 $ $334

NPL

Under 11

Male $1,091 $1,590 $1,866 $969 $950 $560 n/a n/a $ $738

Female $1,144 $1,513 n/a $865 n/a $590 n/a n/a $ n/a

NPL

Youth

Male $1,442 $1,778 $1,911 $1,280 $1,009 $750 n/a $757 $ $657

Female $1,284 $1,567 $1,400 $1,283 n/a $752 n/a $617 $ $708

NPL

Senior

Male $494 $498 $143 $669 $692 $646 n/a $650 $ $600

Female $415 $274 $260 $552 n/a $591 n/a $606 $ n/a

*National average across all Member Federations.

Source: FFA Cost of Football 2018

APPENDIX: DETAILED MATCH COMPETITIVENESS DATA


T O P - L E V E L M AT C H C O M P E T I T I V E N E S S

Average Goal

Difference

Goal Difference

Draw 1-2 3-4 5-9 10+ Total Results

2018

Seniors 3.2 13% 37% 27% 19% 4% 136

Juniors 1.8 38% 34% 15% 11% 1% 551

2017

Seniors 2.0 17% 53% 20% 10% 0% 138

Juniors 2.0 19% 51% 22% 8% 0% 417

2016

Seniors 1.9 17% 52% 23% 8% 0% 112

Juniors 2.1 15% 51% 23% 11% 0% 286

2015

WPL 2.7 12% 47% 23% 17% 1% 262

Juniors* 2.8 15% 39% 24% 21% 2% 311

2014

WPL 2.6 13% 42% 28% 16% 1% 267

Juniors* 3.0 14% 34% 26% 24% 2% 313


C O M M U N I T Y M AT C H C O M P E T I T I V E N E S S

Average Goal

Difference

Goal Difference

Draw 1-2 3-4 5-9 10+ Total Results

2018

Seniors 2.8 12% 40% 28% 20% 1% 1,258

Juniors 2.9 10% 40% 29% 20% 1% 1,989

2017

Seniors 2.7 15% 40% 26% 18% 1% 1,241

Juniors 2.8 12% 41% 27% 19% 1% 1,896

2016

Seniors 2.7 15% 41% 26% 17% 1% 1,205

Juniors 2.9 13% 40% 26% 20% 2% 1,808

2015

State League 2.8 12% 42% 25% 20% 1% 1,174

Juniors* 2.9 13% 40% 24% 20% 2% 785

2014

State League 2.9 11% 42% 24% 22% 1% 1,174

Juniors* 3.0 4% 44% 33% 18% 1% 1,433

APPENDIX: DETAILED PLAYER RETENTION DATA


P L AY E R R E T E N T I O N A N A LY S I S P R O C E S S

An analysis of player records for each cohort (NPLW and Community) was conducted using the decision tree illustrated on the below. The objectives of

the analysis process were as follows:

1. Determine the annual retention and attrition of players within each cohort.

2. Measure the annual number of player movements between clubs.

Female Player

Record

Remain in

Competition

Leave

Competition

Still

Playing

Not

Playing

Decision Tree

Same

Club

New

Club

Season n Season n+1

1. Each female player record was analysed to determine whether that

play remained in the same competition or left the competition for

the following season.

2. Players that where identified as having left the competition were

analysed to determine whether they were still playing or not.

Player records which did not appear in the following seasons data

where deemed to no longer be playing football (within a FV

affiliated competition).

3. Players that did remain in the same competition were analysed to

determine if that player remained at the same club for both

seasons, or changed club from one season to the next.

4. This process was repeated for each season in the dataset.


2016To

2017

Remained in NPLW system58%

Same Club82%

New Club18%

Left NPLW system42%

Still Playing44%

Not Playing56%

2017To

2018

Remained in NPLW system71%

Same Club75%

New Club25%

Left NPLW system29%

Still Playing49%

Not Playing51%

2016To

2017

Remained in NPLW system604

Same Club497

New Club107

Left NPLW system438

Still Playing192

Not Playing246

2017To

2018

Remained in NPLW system487

Same Club367

New Club120

Left NPLW system200

Still Playing99

Not Playing101

N P LW P L AY E R R E T E N T I O N A N A LY S I S


2016 - 2017 2017 – 2018

Category Still Playing Not Playing Still Playing Not Playing

U12 19 28 9 3

U13 3 5 19 10

U14 8 11 9 6

U15 15 9 10 6

U16 16 14 9 8

U18 46 64 27 22

U20 35 40 5 9

Senior 50 75 11 37

Players who have left the NPLW

N P LW P L AY E R R E T E N T I O N A N A LY S I S


2014To

2015

Remained in Community system63%

Same Club83%

New Club17%

Left Community system37%

Still Playing3%

Not Playing97%

2015To

2016


Same Club87%

New Club13%


Still Playing13%

Not Playing87%

2016To

2017


Same Club90%

New Club10%


Still Playing8%

Not Playing92%

2017To

2018


Same Club97%

New Club13%


Still Playing5%

Not Playing95%

C O M M U N I T Y R E T E N T I O N A N A LY S I S


2014To

2015

Remained in Community system5,995

Same Club5,000

New Club955

Left Community system3,497

Still Playing112

Not Playing3,385

2015To

2016


Same Club5,307

New Club824


Still Playing3,714

Not Playing579

2016To

2017


Same Club6,114

New Club696


Still Playing345

Not Playing3,778

2017To

2018


Same Club6,633

New Club967


Still Playing221

Not Playing4,152



Players who have left Community

2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016 - 2017 2017 – 2018

Category Still Playing Not Playing Still Playing Not Playing Still Playing Not Playing Still Playing Not Playing

U12 12 808 40 833 29 908 126 1,586

U13 3 177 50 230 35 270 25 223

U14 10 235 81 244 79 282 18 257

U15 16 188 68 199 43 207 15 311

U16 31 216 75 222 60 232 11 279

U18 14 484 110 564 37 530 12 315

U20 5 359 51 340 18 291 5 210

Senior 21 918 104 1,082 44 1,058 9 971


APPENDIX: REGIONAL PARTICIPATION TRENDS


R E G I O N A L PA R T I C I PAT I O N T R E N D S

Legend

Gippsland

Goulburn North West

Loddon Mallee

Wimmera South Coast

Metro

FV Regional Zones

Legend

Central Northern

Eastern South East

North East Southern

North West Western

FV Metro Zones


C L U B , T E A M A N D P L AY E R T R E N D S

FV Zone 2018 Clubs 2018 Teams 2018 Players

Metr

o

North East Zone 17 80 1,268

Central Zone 21 91 1,256

Western Zone 22 80 962

North West Zone 19 55 1,462

South East Zone 14 114 1,022

Eastern Zone 19 61 1,425

Northern Zone 18 64 833

Southern Zone 21 66 926

Reg

ion

al

Wimmera South

Coast Zone3 7 80

Loddon Mallee Zone 4 9 106

Gippsland Zone 2 3 1,081

Goulburn North East

Zone0 0 204

Other - - 2,434

Total 160 630 13,059

2015-2018 %

change+ 18% + 30% + 21%

FV Regional Zones

FV Metro Zones


C L U B T R E N D S

FV Zone 2015 2016 2017 20182015-2018

% change

Metr

o

North East Zone 11 15 15 17 55%

Central Zone 19 18 20 21 11%

Western Zone 23 23 21 22 -4%

North West Zone 14 17 20 19 36%

South East Zone 13 13 13 14 8%

Eastern Zone 17 17 17 19 12%

Northern Zone 6 4 3 3 -50%

Southern Zone 15 18 19 18 20%

Reg

ion

al

Wimmera South

Coast Zone15 18 18 21 40%

Loddon Mallee Zone 3 3 4 4 33%

Gippsland Zone 0 0 1 2 + 2

Goulburn North East

Zone0 0 0 0 -

Total 136 146 151 160 18%

FV Regional Zones

FV Metro Zones


FV Zone 2015 2016 2017 20182015-2018

% change

Metr

o

North East Zone 70 70 76 80 14%

Central Zone 73 74 79 91 25%

Western Zone 64 70 75 80 25%

North West Zone 31 35 47 55 77%

South East Zone 74 90 106 114 54%

Eastern Zone 53 56 59 61 15%

Northern Zone 54 60 63 64 19%

Southern Zone 48 60 59 66 38%

Reg

ion

al

Wimmera South

Coast Zone11 9 8 7 -36%

Loddon Mallee Zone 8 9 10 9 13%

Gippsland Zone 0 0 1 3 + 3

Goulburn North East

Zone0 0 0 0 -

Total 486 533 583 630 30%

T E A M T R E N D S

FV Regional Zones

FV Metro Zones


FV Zone 2015 2016 2017 20182015-2018

% change

Metr

o

North East Zone 1,248 1,178 1,200 1,268 2%

Central Zone 597 1,174 1,247 1,256 110%

Western Zone 882 1,011 991 962 9%

North West Zone 783 1,318 1,470 1,462 87%

South East Zone 1,036 958 1,008 1,022 -1%

Eastern Zone 975 1,232 1,303 1,425 46%

Northern Zone 690 616 807 833 21%

Southern Zone 559 739 830 926 66%

Reg

ion

al

Wimmera South

Coast Zone46 72 83 80 74%

Loddon Mallee Zone 124 87 59 106 -15%

Gippsland Zone 1,098 1,024 1,037 1,081 -2%

Goulburn North East

Zone211 194 216 204 -3%

Other 2,534 2,374 2,409 2,434 -4%

Total 10,783 11,977 12,660 13,059 21%

P L AY E R T R E N D S

FV Regional Zones

FV Metro Zones

APPENDIX: NPLW COACHES & TECHNICAL DIRECTORSFORUM NOTES


• Performance and success of the Matilda’s on the world stage.

• Standard of football in the NPLW.

• Standard of players that have been attracted to NPLW.

• Level of experience and knowledge of the coaches being attracted to women’s football – although still low numbers of female coaches.

• Quality and standard of young players coming through the clubs.

• Growing participation numbers at community level (overall participation is not a strength).

• Broad awareness of the game at the top level of the sport (e.g. Matildas and W-league).

• Media and communications process/strategies of some NPLW clubs.

• Structure of the talented player pathways are clearer (for some) in the women’s game – when compared to the men’s.

• Clubs generally understand their role/responsibility in the pathway.

• There is a reasonably clear vision across women’s football to develop players and improve the standard in the NPLW – but this will need to be

restated through this review.

What is currently working well for women and girls’ football?

N P LW C OAC H E S & T E C H N I C A L D I R E C T O R SF O R U M N O T E S


• Quality of the players (depth of talent) in the senior league. Talent is “watered down” to fill team numbers.

• Talented players being lost to AFLW.

• Commitment levels between male and female NPL players are the same but women have less financial opportunity and security. There are no player

contracts and significantly lower player payments (if any payment at all).

• Inequality in the prize money on offer to NPLW champion teams compared to the men’s NPL champion teams.

• Stability of the player list. Freedom of movement for female players is high in comparison to the men’s league. There is no player transfer alignment.

• Inadequate development of coaches at community level to support player development and the identification of talented players.

• Retention of coaches within the women's game is poor.

• Overall awareness of the women’s football pathway outside of those in the game is low. No real advocacy, ownership and investment in women’s

football to sell the story to the wider community – and some will say there is a lack of vision/direction in the women’s game.

• Marketing of the game only exists at a club level. There is very little promotion of the women’s game by FV.

• The criteria for NPLW Clubs is no longer being assessed/enforced. The current regulations, rules and requirements for clubs are unclear.

• There are very few women involved in coaching. The game needs to address the availability and desire of women to be involved in coaching.

• Availability of mentors and role models for women and girls’ at all levels of the game – this happens only in small pockets.

• There is a lack of guides, resources and solutions to upskill and develop clubs and club administrators to better support women’s football.

• Access, funding and availability of female friendly football facilities – although being address through State Government. Allocation of funding and

grants to the right places/clubs. (i.e. Female facilities funding going to clubs who don’t have female players).

• Relative status and importance of coaches involved in women’s football is lower than those involved in men’s.

What currently isn’t working for women and girls’ football?



• Mentoring and pairing of female coaches to share the coaching load and provide greater flexibility.

• Upskilling female coaches in non-football skills (e.g. broader leadership opportunities).

• Mandating the education of parents to remove the abrasive atmosphere which potentially drives many female coaches away.

• FV providing Clubs with access to a centralised database of female coaches to assist helping clubs in recruiting female coaches.

• Subsidising coaching courses/education for female coaches – and running female only coaching courses.

• Helping to connect experienced coaches (both male and female) with developing female coaches to provide mentoring opportunities.

• Making it mandatory for all NPLW Clubs to have at least one female staff member (TD, Coach or Assistant Coach) on their roster.

• Providing a scholarship program to assist and encourage the development of female coaches.

Key Issue - Coach Pathways



• Be patient. The NPLW competition is still young and it will take time for young talent to come through the clubs.

• Less teams in the WNPL (in the short term) to increase concentration of talented players within the existing clubs.

• Creating a draft system for NPLW (similar to the US system) to evenly distribute talent amongst teams.

• Review the purpose of the NTC in women’s football. Move the NTC Girls back to playing in boy’s NPL.

• Regular rotation of players through the NTC to increase the opportunities for players to be involved and exposed to the NTC environment.

• Increase the number of visa players allowed in each team. Implement the AFC 2+1 rule.

• Create more elite competition opportunities at a national level – running multiple events, multiple times per year.

• Introduce restrictions on player movements to increase retention of players and encourage them to stay in a development structure. Encourage

clubs to have a longer term focus on player development.

• Restricting player movement – align postcode with NPLW club catchment areas (similar to the old Summer Champions Leagues).

• Introduce an active strategy to target and engage schools to attract more talented girls to the game.

• Provide scholarship/sponsorship opportunities for elite players from lower socio-economic areas to play in the NPLW.

Key Issue - Elite Player Depth



• Clubs need to take the initiative and build positive relationships with local government.

• Clubs need to be more proactive and (respectfully) lobby and campaign local government for facility upgrades – with the assistance of FV.

• Ensure the funding which is available from State and Local Governments (especially female facilities funding) is allocated to the clubs which will

genuinely support and grow the women’s game.

• Encourage clubs to have a Gender Equity Policy in the allocation of premium pitches to teams.

• Improve the playing surfaces across the board to reduce the rate of injuries.

Key Issue - More/Improved Facilities



• Change the status of the NPLW competition to “semi-professional” to allow for player contracts, and increase the opportunity for player payments.

• Make NPLW clubs accountable to the standards and criteria which they sign up to – reintroduce the annual audit and feedback system.

• Introduce equality in the prize money offered to champion teams in the NPL and NPLW.

• FV to increase the promotion and media expose of women’s football in Victoria.

• FV to resource and promote the NPLW like NPL in all aspects, marketing, staffing, financial resources.

• FV to explore sponsorship opportunities for NPLW and NPLW clubs.

• FV to have a strategy in place to grow the women’s game and implement female specific strategies to grow participation.

Key Issue - Advocacy, Ownership and Governance


APPENDIX: FEMALE PLAYERS FORUM NOTES


• Encouraging more women and girls to play football.

• Increasing retention of women and girls in the sport.

• Providing the required support and making resources available to clubs.

• Grading, promotion and relegation within the competition structure.

• Flexible and social playing opportunities for a more diverse female market (e.g. mothers and over 35’s).

• Creating a welcoming and enjoyable environment within clubs.

• Determining the optimal number of clubs/teams in the state league pathway, including the current reserves and seniors competition structure – e.g.

in SL1 there are some grading issues.

• Providing access to female friendly facilities and infrastructure (e.g. change rooms).

• Creating equal opportunities for both men and women in the game.

• Assisting clubs to build relationships with local government.

• Increasing the visibility of women and girls playing/engaging in football - 50/50 representation at FV and club level.

What issues need to be discussed tonight?

I N T R O D U C T I O N


• Popularity and visibility of women and girls playing football.

• The current on-field success of the Matildas.

• Increased government funding and investment in women's sport and female friendly facilities.

• Clear pathway opportunities to the elite level.

• The increasing number of female role models in the game – but we still need more!

• The communication of opportunities for women and girls to engage in football as players, coaches and referees.

• Changing perceptions and increasing interest and media coverage of women’s sport.

• Football clubs are becoming more inclusive of women.

• The language is starting to change at club level – no longer “women’s team” or “women’s coach”.

• Clubs are starting to notice when equality doesn’t exist. There is a genuine fear of missing out (on funding opportunities) if clubs don’t have

opportunities for women and girls.

• Some clubs are starting to consider the needs/motivations of women and girls (e.g. food and beverage options at the club social functions).

• Increasing leadership and work towards equality in the game.

• More clubs are providing women’s teams with their own uniforms (rather than men’s cuts/fits).

With regards to players, what is currently working well for women and girls’ football?

S T R E N G T H S & W E A K N E S S E S


• Inequality with player payments at all levels – from the Matilda’s through to State League.

• Men’s competitions are perceived as more commercially successful – therefore can justify more resources.

• Some competitions are becoming stale – E.g. the same team keeps winning State League 1 each year. There is no promotion for successful teams in

State League 1 to NPLW.

• There are issues with the current grading of teams – this is forcing players to leave their club to play at a more competitive level.

• There are whole teams of players moving clubs. Need to understand why this is such a common occurrence.

• Female players are becoming a commodity for clubs to influence facility funding/investment.

• Poor quality of referees and the attitudes towards the importance of women’s games. E.g. Linespersons not being appointed for Women’s State

League 1.

• Timing and location of women’s and girls games is not prioritised – why are Saturdays protected for men’s competitions?

• Attitudes/perceptions/bias of how females play compared to males.

• The additional pressures and responsibilities (off-field) which women take on or are given in a club environment.

• Too much focus on recruiting new players and not enough on retaining the players we have.

• Poor visibility of the pathway for female players to become coaches/referees.

• No formal mentoring or development programs to continue to support and develop female coaches/referees/administrators.

• Increasing competition from other codes – losing players to AFLW, cricket etc.

• Not as many talent ID opportunities for female players.

• Poor communication/visibility of elite opportunities for female players.

• Lower levels of fan engagement with women’s football at all levels – only 7,000 attended the Matildas match in Melbourne.

• Scheduling and promotion of the Matilda’s match – it was held on a week night in an early time slot. FFA’s support in promoting the game was

below expectations.

• Limited understanding of the potential commercial value of women’s sport.

• Alternative playing options are not available or communicated to clubs – when teams are short of players some clubs just forfeit.

With regards to players, what currently isn’t working for women and girls’ football?



• Review grading processes from other sports to identify key learnings for FV.

• Consider using pre-season friendly matches to help coaches and FV grade teams effectively.

• Use data from previous seasons to assess the standard of players in the team to grade the team as a whole.

• Improve communication processes between clubs to assist players in finding a team to suit their playing ability.

• Introduce a “find a team” function on the FV website to make it easier for someone who wants to play to find a club.

• Introduce promotion and relegation from State League 1 to NPLW in order to provide a pathway for successful teams to play in the state’s premier

competition.

• Promote positive stories when teams are promoted to higher leagues – celebrates the success of clubs.

• Investigate the benefits of introducing regulations to prevent player movement between State League 1 and Reserves.

• E.g. Clubs need to submit a set list of players for the State League 1 squad. Exemption for goalkeepers to fill in for a lower team.

• Work with clubs and build the profile and positive stories around of women’s football, rather than a “win at all costs” mentality.

Grading of women and girls teams

K E Y I S S U E S A N D S O L U T I O N S


• Provide equal opportunities for women’s and girls teams as are provided for men’s and boys teams.

• Prioritise access to facilities for women and girls. Ensuring that women’s and girl’s teams have the same access to top quality facilities as the

men’s/boy’s teams.

• Eliminate club restrictions which reserve the best parts of the facility for men only – e.g. the main pitch, and newer change rooms.

• When a women or girls teams is not allocated to certain facilities ensure that the rationale for this decision is clearly communicated (e.g. the ability to

charge a gate fee for men’s games, scheduling conflicts and pitch wear and tear).

• Roll out the club engagement officer program to all clubs that are interested.

• Introduce equity of pay for women‘s and men’s teams – starting from the top with the Socceroo’s and the Matilda’s.

Improving the culture within football clubs towards women and girls.



• Provide more female coaching/refereeing pathways and development opportunities.

• Encourage women to be apply for leadership positions at club level, and introduce quotas for the composition of club committees (40:40:20).

• Work with clubs to make it more enjoyable for women to be involved in roles within clubs – “you will make time for something which you enjoy”.

• Increase the visibility of women in leadership roles using social media and club newsletters.

• Ensure clubs publicise and communicate the committee roles to all members – helps women to see current and future opportunities.

• Develop a resource that clearly communicates what information is compulsory for every club website.

• Develop case studies of clubs which are making positive changes to promote and empower women and girls through leadership roles at the club –

“You can’t be what you can’t see”.

• Review the content, resource availability and usability of the current FV website.

• Support mentoring programs which encourage women and girls to engage in roles outside of football.

• Inspire women and girls (and male champions of change) by visiting clubs and engaging with stakeholders face-to-face.

Visibility of women and girls in football in leadership roles.



• Provide more opportunities to play small-sided games and competitions (e.g. 7-a-side) in a relaxed and social environment (understanding that not

everyone is motived to play in a competitive league).

• Review existing social competitions to ensure they closely align with the motivations of women to participate in football.

• Create an “Over 35s” or ”Masters” league to help retain more women in the game for longer.

• Create and promote opportunities to engage mothers in football while their child is at training – e.g. Soccer Mums, fitness programs on the pitch etc.

• Support programs that provide flexibility around facility standards and pitch sizes. This may assist in opening up additional places to play and

maximising the use of existing facilities.

• Be mindful of the capacity of volunteer club committees to take on the additional responsibilities of running social programs, and assist with delivery

where possible.

• Encourage collaboration between clubs, and support clubs to approach local government as a united front when lobbying for increased facility

access – shared outcomes.

Social and flexible participation opportunities for women.


APPENDIX: FEMALE REFEREES FORUM NOTES


• New referee recruitment, support, mentoring and training.

• Making young female referees more comfortable.

• Attracting and retaining female referees.

• Education and training of new referees.

• Increasing the number of women in leadership positions.

• Listening to women’s thoughts and ideas – consultation and engagement.

• More pathways, systems and processes to defend against a challenging environment – much harder for young females.

• The need for welfare, advocacy and support services for female referees.

• Player/coach education of rule interpretations/changes.

• Age-appropriate game selections for inexperienced referees.

• Fitness testing standards (international category applied to NPLW which is higher than W-League).




• Junior girls love having female referees.

• Pathway, girls and MiniRoos opportunities.

• Community and camaraderie between female referees.

• Unofficial mentoring and support for each other.

• Increasing understanding of female referees.

• Best paid referees in Australia – and probably in the southern hemisphere.

With regards to referees, what is currently working well for women and girls’ football?



• Too many women and girl referees get “pigeon-holed” and only appointed to women and girls’ games.

• Differing standards which some referees apply to women and girls’ games is very different to men and boys’ games (same referee told girls players

to tuck in shirts and pull up socks, then refereed a men’s/boys’ game and didn’t say anything).

• Far too often, referee teams are all male with one female. Very hard for a female referee to share a referee change-room with 4-5 other males.

• Many times, issues have been raised with the environment where referee training is facilitated in Dandenong. This includes inappropriate verbal

comments, men’s and boys’ training without tops on, issues are ignored and/or not taken seriously. Part of the problem is there are no female

leaders who would take these issues seriously.

• Assessors process: there is a clear divide and misunderstanding of how to communicate with women's and girls’ referees. The better assessors are

polite, facilitate a discussion, and provide feedback in line with the assessment framework.

• A good club environment for first-time referees: everything is ready and organised for the referees, representative waiting for a referee to arrive at

the prescribed time, clubs should have to appoint a referee liaison person.

• A bad club environment for first-time referees: no one is expecting you, people are intimidating, facilities are poor.

• There is no one to discuss referee career progression opportunities with who will listen, support and act.

• Often branch introductory training courses only show male footage for demonstrations, content can be very technical in nature, and each branch will

do this differently. There is no consistent standards and processes. The ideal model is for all Level 4 referees to be met on arrival, welcomed,

presented with their green jersey, taught some helpful information and explained the next steps in progression.

With regards to referees, what currently isn’t working for women and girls’ football?



• More visibility of women and girls’ refereeing – website and social

media imagery.

• Target university students – go to the open days.

• Target mature players towards the end of their playing careers.

• Key selling points for the referee opportunity: money, fitness,

friendships, life-skills, employment enhancement for CV, ability to be

apart of elite football environment, clear pathway and program.

• More appointment opportunities for female referee.

• Identify ambassadors to improve visibility and assist with recruiting

women and girls as referees.

Identification and Recruitment


• Referee liaisons.

• Formalised induction processes.

• Phone call from either FV or Branch.

• Set up on SchedulR.

• The match-day requirements (arrive early, introduce self, get

organised etc.).

• Explanation of ‘how to’ fill out an incident report (if required).

• Confirmation they have received information.

• Must be a mentor for every first-time referee at their first three games

as a minimum.

Induction and Initiation (the first experiences)


• Level four course needs to expand from six hours to at least a day and

a half:

• Balance the time commitment with the requisite benefits (more

depth, more practical examples, more time for questions and

discussions, better learning environment).

• Run women-only referee courses. Some girls will not attend

otherwise.

• Women games will have nuances compared to men’s games

which may not be obvious to referees who more commonly

officiate men’s games (i.e. the speed and intensity thresholds for

yellow cards).

• Educator (course presenter) evaluations should become standard

practice at courses.

• Run a series of online panels where experienced referees discuss

contentious decisions and footage from weekend games.

• Level three course are not always accessible or available.

• Club representatives need to understand sexual harassment, child

protection and unconscious bias. Existing training materials and

content can be leveraged to distribute.

Training and Education


• Quickly identify any referees who have done the initial training and

then dropped out.

• Each branch has a person in a dedicated welfare position (although

these positions are voluntary and not very well supported). These

positions must be better supported.

• Refereeing can be a very isolating pursuit. There needs to be more

formal check-ins with referees in general – just like any organisation

would with its employees.

• There are no service standards (service level agreements – SLAs) or

clear expectations for following up on incident reports from referees.

Many examples of responses either never coming or taking up to six

weeks.

Support and Mentoring


• Objective reporting assessments.

• Female-only training sessions to ensure a welcoming culture and

environment.

• Review rules around training/fitness standards for NPLW to ensure

equity.

• Referee career progression must become more proactive in

promoting opportunities for aspiring refereeing.

Development and Performance


APPENDIX: NORTH-WEST CLUB FORUM NOTES


• What is FV’s objective for women and girls in the existing pathway?

• What is the optimal model for women and girls football going forward?

• Balance the focus between men’s and boys and women and girls within clubs

• Disparity in standard of competition

• Managing/balancing game time and squad size

• E.g. Rule of 20 players on the sheet

• Season length

• 27 round season is too long – disadvantages senior players aspiring to play W League due to physical load

• Loss of talent overseas – USA

• Player welfare




• Visible pathway from community to NPLW to W-League

• Growing participation

• More visibility, promotion and marketing of women in sport and in football

• Willingness of players at the top level to ‘give back’ – creates role models

• Passion of coaches and key club stakeholders involved to develop women and girls football

• Better communication from FV to clubs over the last 12 months

• Livestreaming of every senior girls WNPL game on Facebook has been a huge positive

• Generates conversation

• Increased focus from local government on women and girls sport – grants and funding

• Subsidy of MiniRoos girls teams from FV

• Increase in the number of referees – including more females refereeing

• Culture and behaviour at some women’s games




• Attitude and culture towards women and girls as a ‘second thought’ – need to change the mindset and put women and girls first

• Increase the visibility of women and girls in football, especially on social media

• Not enough women in leadership positions – committee members, coaches etc. Can be daunting for women to take on these roles –unconscious

biases. We need to work on the identification of female leaders.

• Poor language and behaviour towards women and girls

• Education and training always has a male focus – no female examples

• Parents getting involved for the wrong reasons – self-interest for their kids

• Inequality in remuneration for female coaches – exploits women’s motivations to give back to the club

• Female playing talent is being undervalued – E.g. payment for NPL players but not for NPLW/W-League

• Misalignment between strategy and execution at club level

• Coaching standards/requirements can be a barrier to attracting more women to these roles

• Increased competition from other sports – both for players and volunteers

• Female friendly facilities




• Encourage more women to get involved at all levels of the game

• Educate people in the game around inclusive language and terminology, and provide male and female examples in coach/referee course and

education

• Ensure that FV enforce gender equality policies at Club level

• Provide more mentoring programs to foster females into leadership roles

• Prioritise women’s and girls’ games in scheduling and fixturing to put them first

• Educate men and boys to become champions of change for women and girls within their clubs

• Provide better feedback mechanisms so clubs can report poor attitudes and behaviour towards women and girls

• Share case studies of clubs prioritising women’s and girls to demonstrate positive change

• Leverage the success of Sam Kerr and the Matilda’s on the world stage to encourage increased female participation, and change the perception of

women in football

Culture and attitude towards women and girls



• Allow NPLW players to be paid – change their status to semi-professional

• Educate clubs and coaches (both male and female) about appropriate pay levels for women and girls

• Look at leading sports (e.g. tennis and surfing) as case studies for introducing equal play for women and men

• Encourage women to coach both male and female senior teams

Remuneration of players and coaches



• Develop a three to four year objective towards introducing quotas for Boards and Club Committees

• Leadership from FV to show 40/40/20 gender breakdown at Board and Executive level

• Use social media to build the profile of female players and administrators

• Increase visibility of female players

• Increase visibility of women currently in leadership roles

• Invite more women to be involved in committees and at events

• Provide more leadership training for women and men, more often

• Utilise the female talent and people we have

• Understand time constraints of female coaches, players and administrators and provide flexibility

• Encourage women to apply for leadership positions, have the confidence to pursue them, and not be discouraged if they don’t get appointed

Increase the visibility of women in the sport and in leadership roles



• Build relationships between FV and local councils to deliver improved access to female friendly facilities

• Provide equal access for both men’s and women’s teams to pitches and facilities

• Schedule W-League and Matilda’s games at ‘prime time’ to increase attendance

• Prioritise female teams when fixturing matches – FV to set standards

• Review the season length and consider mid-week games to decrease the physical load for NPLW and W-League players

• Strategically identify areas for more facilities

• Ensure female friendly facilities are available at all clubs

Access to facilities


APPENDIX: SOUTH-EAST CLUB FORUM NOTES


• More women and girls participating in football at all levels

• Sustainable opportunities for all women and girls that foster skill development as well as participation

• More clubs achieving a critical mass of women and girls to become self-sustaining

• Leveraging our collective power to improve outcomes for women and girls

• Defined pathways (with equal opportunities as men’s and boys) to keep women and girls in the game as players, coaches and

administrators

• Providing opportunities for all women and girls to play at the right level for their ability

• More females in volunteer and coaching roles within clubs

• Empowering women and girls within their clubs

• Improving relationships and better alignment between NPLW and community clubs

• Role of community clubs in the pathway

• Even competition at the senior player level – comes down to financial issues

• Facilities

• Retention of women and girls within the game

• Equitable opportunities for women and girls

• Understanding the motivations of women and girls to play our game

• Greater diversity across the whole sport (multicultural/refugees/all abilities)




• Growth in participation and interest in the women’s game

• Greater attraction of new players, particularly in the MiniRoos age groups (Under 8 – Under11)

• Development of women and girls within the club

• Growing numbers of females in leadership positions at some clubs (coaches and administrators)

• Increasing opportunities for women and girls at different levels of the game

• Diverse range of ages amongst female players (from 5 to 50 year olds in the Bayside area)

• Increasing numbers of female coaches

• Mentoring of young players by senior women within the club – willingness to give back to the game

• The ethos and culture is changing to be more inclusive of women and girls

• Better understanding of the motivations of women and girls to be involved in the game – assists with improving retention

• Increasing opportunities for girls to play in a competition that is appropriate to their ability due to greater participation

• Greater diversity of players from different backgrounds

• Introduction of more flexible competition formats (e.g. 7-a-side) has assisted in increasing retention

• Greater promotion and support of female football from FV (e.g. Female Football Week, although timing needs to be considered)

• Opportunities for girls to play in female competitions (don’t have to play mixed)

• Increased confidence of girls playing the game




• Poor visibility and promotion of female role models in the game

• Lack of female coaches (need to create supportive and empowering environments – qualification requirements and poor club culture is a barrier)

• Culture, perceptions and attitudes towards the women’s game

• Need to get better at attracting women into leadership roles within clubs (as coaches and administrators)

• Uninviting environments for women and girls within some clubs

• Financial sustainability of NPLW clubs

• Access to and cost of facilities (competition with other sports e.g. cricket, relationship with local Council’s, equitable access)

• Relationship with the education system – competing priorities with school vs. football commitments

• Investment in the women and girls game from FV

• Support for smaller clubs to introduce women and girls teams

• Spreading our female talent too thin (players, coaches, administrators etc.)

• Traditional men’s clubs leveraging female football for the wrong reasons

• NTC program (integration with clubs, no reciprocation/connection to send players back to clubs, purpose of the NTC)

• Dual age groups (jump from U12 to U14 affects the player experience)

• Self-grading

• Opportunities for players of all abilities to keep them in the game

• Scheduling of women’s and girls games




• Introduce gender quota’s to attract more females on club committees/boards

• Introduce fixed terms for committee members – includes succession planning

• Identify and develop male champions of change within clubs

• Greater visibility and promotion of women in leadership roles

• Recruit women on to Boards/committees through word of mouth, encouragement and support

• Educate men on how to better involve and integrate women into the club

• Assist clubs to develop strategies to manage the volunteer workforce

• Work together (FV and Clubs) to deliver shared objectives and outcomes

• Change the language within the sport to be more inclusive to women and girls (e.g. Senior Men’s team and Senior Women’s team, A-League vs. W-

League)

• Support female only clubs to provide a different player experience and additional opportunities for women and girls

• Develop a media strategy to promote and educate the community about women and girls football

• Social media guidelines for clubs

• More role models for women and girls

Club culture and environment



• Consider introducing single age groups for the community competition up to the Under 16 age bracket

• Must have consideration/flexibility for regional clubs who may not have the participant numbers to field single age group teams

• Consider introducing 9v9 to U13

• Invest in creating quality participation opportunities for all abilities, not just the elite

• Consider introducing a “Super/Premier League” that provides the best competition for female players outside of NPLW

• Div 1 and Div 2 must have a senior and reserves team in this structure

• Provide opportunities for junior community teams to play against NPLW teams

• De-couple juniors and seniors at NPLW clubs

• The performance/status of the seniors should not impact juniors

• Consider introducing promotion and relegation between NPLW and community

• Give clubs the option to self-grade or have external grading

• Helps to address the disparity in competition

• Review the Visa policy and requirements

• Must be consistent across all clubs

Player pathways



• Introduce gender quota’s to attract more females on club committees/boards

• Make it easier for women and girls to coach

• Introduce strategies to encourage former players to engage in coach, referee and committee roles

• Encourage Mum’s to become more involved within the club

• Build knowledge and confidence while their children are participating

• Recruit Mum’s at the Miniroo’s level

• Encourage and support the women who have the energy

• Increase the promotion and visibility of successful female coaches

• Offer all-female coaching and referee courses, education and development opportunities

• Promote female referees who are refereeing at the elite level

• Provide female referees with support and opportunities to referee senior/elite male games

• Educate parents and spectators about appropriate behaviour towards coaches and referees – and reprimand clubs and individuals who are not

compliant

• Provide more participation opportunities for women aged over 35

• FV must continue to invest in and provide women’s leadership programs/courses – and provide clubs with the opportunity to get involved

• Introduce a Female Club Ambassador Program

Women and girls in leadership roles, including as coaches and referees



• Introduce scholarship and sponsorship opportunities for players from low socioeconomic communities

• Consider introducing a levy within player fees to assist in funding players from low socioeconomic backgrounds – ongoing funding and sustainability

• Provide parents with the option to sponsor another child if they want to

• Review the financial model of NPLW clubs – very few variable costs

• Publicise, and be more transparent about what is included in player fees to educate parents

• Review the length and starting time of the season

• Consider introducing a staggered start to the season

• Work with Council to educate them that football is not only a Winter sport

• Invest in synthetic pitches to alleviate the wear and tear and increase capacity of existing pitches

• Work with schools to develop relationships and share their facilities

• Discuss the use of community facilities by schools with Council

• Improve relationships with Councils – starts with FV Ambassadors building relationships and advocating for their clubs

• Promote that football clubs have a female participation focus

• Build relationships with state government and create a compelling case for increased investment

• Invest in places to play and be more innovative when building pitches (e.g. building up)

• Be more proactive in building a network with FV Club ambassadors and Councils to attract more funding and grants

Facilities and Accessibility


APPENDIX: DETAILED SURVEY DATA


D E TA I L E D S U R V E Y DATA

Age X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

5 - 10 years 10% 5% 19% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%

11 - 14 years 26% 24% 41% 0% 0% 4% 0% 13%

15 - 18 years 15% 25% 12% 0% 0% 1% 0% 3%

19 - 24 years 7% 14% 0% 0% 0% 1% 64% 25%

25 - 29 years 5% 11% 0% 6% 0% 8% 0% 0%

30 - 39 years 7% 12% 2% 3% 13% 5% 0% 9%

40 - 49 years 17% 7% 18% 47% 40% 37% 9% 47%

50 - 59 years 11% 1% 8% 38% 40% 36% 27% 72%

60 - 69 years 1% 0% 0% 6% 7% 5% 0% 28%

70+ years 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 3%



Competition X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

NPLW 9% 7% 7% 15% 4% 13% 27% 32%

NPL Girls 8% 6% 9% 10% 1% 11% 13% 44%

Metropolitan Juniors (U12-U18 including boys) 8% 6% 9% 8% 9% 9% 17% 7%

Metropolitan All Girls 11% 9% 14% 10% 13% 13% 10% 25%

Metropolitan Small Sided Games 2% 1% 2% 3% 6% 3% 0% 2%

Metropolitan Mini-Roos girls 7% 2% 12% 9% 10% 10% 0% 4%

Regional Mini-Roos girls 3% 1% 5% 0% 6% 3% 0% 4%

Women’s State League (Seniors) 15% 26% 3% 15% 13% 17% 20% 26%

Women’s Metro Sevens 1% 1% 0% 1% 4% 0% 0% 1%

Regional Women’s League (Seniors) 5% 8% 2% 1% 6% 4% 3% 8%

Regional Girl’s League (Juniors) 6% 5% 8% 4% 9% 2% 0% 7%

School football 8% 9% 10% 5% 3% 4% 3% 6%

FV Futsal 4% 4% 5% 5% 3% 3% 0% 1%

Summer Sevens 9% 12% 7% 10% 9% 7% 3% 8%

Other (please specify) 5% 4% 8% 5% 3% 3% 3% 24%



Reasons to Continue Playing X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

To spend time with or support my family 2% 1% 2% 17% 16% 5% 0% 9%

To spend time with or support my friends 6% 4% 8% 7% 3% 0% 0% 8%

For the social interaction 8% 9% 7% 10% 10% 3% 10% 19%

For the sense of belonging to a team or community 11% 10% 10% 27% 19% 15% 10% 32%

For the competition 10% 12% 8% 5% 0% 8% 10% 19%

To relax and unwind 2% 3% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 8%

For my own development and to improve my own

ability/skills19% 19% 21% 2% 13% 15% 24% 22%

To simply have fun 12% 10% 16% 3% 0% 5% 0% 10%

For exercise and health benefits 19% 22% 15% 10% 16% 15% 19% 34%

To give back to the sport 2% 1% 1% 12% 10% 10% 14% 17%

To do something I am good at 9% 9% 11% 5% 10% 18% 14% 2%




Reasons to Join Club X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

My sister played at the club 3% 2% 4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 3%

My brother played at the club 6% 5% 9% 8% 5% 0% 0% 0%

My parent/guardian played at the club 2% 2% 2% 3% 0% 0% 7% 9%

My parent/guardian volunteered at the club 5% 4% 7% 8% 0% 5% 7% 11%

I knew someone else who played at the club 23% 26% 20% 23% 25% 9% 40% 59%

It was the closest club to me 27% 26% 28% 33% 40% 14% 20% 65%

It had the best coaching staff 10% 10% 10% 5% 5% 14% 20% 6%

It had a strong on-field performance record 9% 10% 9% 5% 5% 14% 7% 24%




Overall Satisfaction X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Extremely satisfied 16% 16% 19% 15% 10% 10% 0% 6%

Very satisfied 36% 34% 40% 38% 43% 26% 36% 22%

Fairly satisfied 33% 36% 26% 44% 37% 41% 36% 72%

Fairly dissatisfied 8% 7% 7% 3% 7% 10% 27% 34%

Very dissatisfied 4% 4% 5% 0% 0% 7% 0% 22%

Extremely dissatisfied 3% 2% 3% 0% 3% 7% 0% 31%

Don't know 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 13%



Technical Skills/Knowledge of Coach X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 31% 34% 34% 28% 20% 17% 9% 28%





Technical Skills/Knowledge of Coach X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Extremely important 53% 52% 60% 36% 40% 53% 9% 44%

Very important 38% 38% 32% 61% 53% 36% 73% 47%

Fairly important 9% 10% 7% 3% 7% 11% 18% 9%

Not very important 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Not at all important 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%



Quality of Referees/Officials X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 23% 19% 31% 21% 18% 13% 45% 13%





Quality of Referees/Officials X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 42% 39% 47% 61% 40% 29% 45% 38%






Quality of Club Administration and Organisation X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 36% 35% 37% 55% 47% 32% 9% 22%





Quality of Club Administration and Organisation X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 47% 45% 49% 55% 57% 40% 55% 50%






Quality of Club Environment and Culture X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 37% 38% 38% 39% 53% 27% 18% 19%





Quality of Club Environment and Culture X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 40% 35% 46% 52% 60% 32% 55% 32%






NPLW Gala Days X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 28% 23% 30% 36% 50% 29% 50% 33%





NPLW Gala Days X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 22% 18% 21% 19% 33% 35% 71% 18%






Quality of Pitches and Facilities X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 21% 22% 23% 18% 13% 12% 9% 19%





Quality of Pitches and Facilities X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 45% 43% 47% 58% 50% 42% 55% 42%






Travel Time X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 31% 35% 31% 18% 25% 29% 10% 17%





Travel Time X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 31% 30% 32% 36% 27% 23% 64% 29%






Access to Support Services X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 14% 15% 13% 22% 17% 13% 0% 4%





Access to Support Services X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 31% 32% 29% 36% 33% 32% 50% 26%






Access to Changerooms X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 19% 18% 21% 18% 13% 21% 9% 13%





Access to Changerooms X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 38% 39% 35% 48% 43% 39% 36% 35%






Access to Dedicated Female Changerooms X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 15% 15% 16% 12% 13% 12% 0% 16%





Access to Dedicated Female Changerooms X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 37% 36% 37% 36% 47% 38% 30% 31%






Feeling Safe and Welcomed at the Club X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 35% 33% 39% 39% 55% 32% 20% 30%





Feeling Safe and Welcomed at the Club X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 29% 24% 31% 39% 47% 30% 36% 28%






Personal Cost (Equipment, Travel, etc.) X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 25% 27% 26% 18% 34% 29% 10% 7%





Personal Cost (Equipment, Travel, etc.) X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 38% 39% 42% 42% 37% 23% 45% 19%






Price Point (Club Fees, Coaching, etc.) X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 23% 25% 22% 24% 23% 25% 0% 19%





Price Point (Club Fees, Coaching, etc.) X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 39% 40% 40% 39% 50% 27% 30% 31%






Support Provided by Club X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very satisfied 33% 31% 32% 48% 62% 38% 25% 33%





Support Provided by Club X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other


Very important 43% 35% 49% 52% 57% 40% 50% 34%






Retention Likelihood X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Certain to 60% 61% 67% 53% 70% 37% 55% 38%

Very likely 20% 21% 20% 21% 13% 25% 18% 9%

Fairly likely 11% 13% 7% 6% 10% 14% 9% 16%

Fairly unlikely 4% 3% 4% 3% 0% 7% 9% 9%

Very unlikely 2% 2% 2% 3% 0% 7% 0% 0%

Certain not to 3% 0% 0% 15% 7% 11% 9% 28%



Reasons to Discontinue X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

It’s is longer fun to play 13% 16% 16% 7% 0% 4% 0% 8%

I no longer feel supported by my team 8% 9% 8% 7% 0% 8% 0% 11%

I no longer feel supported by my club 11% 11% 13% 14% 0% 8% 14% 14%

I no longer feel safe at my club 4% 5% 5% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

The standard of competition becomes too low 7% 5% 5% 0% 17% 15% 14% 6%

The standard of competition becomes too high/too serious 4% 2% 6% 0% 0% 6% 0% 6%

The cost to participate becomes too high 16% 16% 15% 7% 0% 15% 29% 14%

The cost of equipment becomes too high 3% 2% 5% 0% 0% 4% 14% 0%

Increasing family commitments 8% 8% 5% 7% 17% 8% 0% 6%

Increasing work/study commitments 11% 12% 10% 14% 17% 12% 14% 6%




Actual Training Days X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Monday 16% 15% 18% 23% 14% 13% 0% 14%

Tuesday 24% 27% 20% 23% 24% 30% 30% 29%

Wednesday 21% 18% 25% 17% 24% 17% 40% 21%

Thursday 26% 29% 22% 25% 29% 30% 20% 32%

Friday 9% 8% 11% 9% 10% 4% 10% 4%

Saturday 1% 1% 2% 2% 0% 4% 0% 0%

Sunday 2% 2% 2% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Preferred Training Days X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Monday 16% 16% 17% 24% 5% 13% 12% 15%

Tuesday 26% 27% 24% 30% 32% 27% 41% 32%

Wednesday 20% 19% 22% 12% 21% 20% 18% 15%

Thursday 28% 29% 26% 30% 26% 30% 24% 32%

Friday 8% 7% 9% 4% 16% 3% 6% 2%

Saturday 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 7% 0% 2%

Sunday 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 2%



Actual Match Days X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Monday 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0% 7% 0%

Tuesday 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Wednesday 0% 0% 0% 0% 8% 7% 0% 0%

Thursday 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Friday 4% 6% 1% 10% 0% 7% 14% 6%

Saturday 21% 18% 24% 31% 31% 29% 29% 31%

Sunday 72% 72% 74% 59% 62% 57% 50% 63%

Preferred Match Days X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Monday 2% 1% 2% 0% 0% 6% 6% 4%

Tuesday 1% 0% 2% 0% 0% 0% 6% 4%

Wednesday 2% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 12% 4%

Thursday 1% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 6% 4%

Friday 8% 12% 4% 19% 17% 6% 12% 9%

Saturday 31% 29% 33% 46% 42% 41% 24% 26%

Sunday 55% 56% 57% 35% 42% 47% 35% 48%



Club Actively Recruits Male Players X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 39% 45% 35% 35% 30% 27% 33% 45%

Agree 40% 39% 39% 38% 44% 46% 44% 36%

Neither Agree or Disagree 15% 12% 18% 8% 15% 20% 11% 14%

Disagree 3% 2% 4% 4% 7% 7% 11% 0%

Strongly Disagree 3% 2% 3% 15% 4% 0% 0% 5%

Club Actively Recruits Female Players X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 32% 36% 26% 48% 37% 40% 33% 18%

Agree 38% 34% 42% 39% 60% 31% 22% 36%


Disagree 11% 10% 10% 9% 3% 14% 22% 25%




Diverse Gender Representation on Board/Committee X

RoleOverall Player Parent

Club

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 26% 29% 22% 45% 37% 25% 0% 20%

Agree 37% 40% 36% 15% 40% 41% 38% 36%


Disagree 12% 10% 14% 15% 13% 7% 13% 12%


Actively Supports Female Coaches X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 26% 30% 22% 32% 30% 21% 25% 11%

Agree 35% 32% 34% 41% 57% 46% 13% 41%


Disagree 12% 12% 14% 6% 7% 11% 25% 11%




Fair Development Opportunities (Players) X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 27% 30% 22% 45% 33% 27% 11% 25%

Agree 40% 38% 43% 32% 52% 38% 44% 25%


Disagree 13% 15% 13% 10% 7% 11% 22% 18%


Fair Development Opportunities (Coaches) X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 25% 27% 23% 33% 43% 25% 0% 15%

Agree 42% 41% 41% 42% 43% 43% 63% 35%


Disagree 10% 8% 11% 15% 7% 14% 13% 4%




Female Coaches Coaching Male Teams X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 13% 16% 11% 16% 16% 13% 0% 4%

Agree 22% 21% 22% 24% 36% 21% 11% 24%


Disagree 20% 20% 22% 8% 16% 16% 56% 16%


Access to Convenient Training Times X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 19% 22% 16% 29% 18% 17% 11% 14%

Agree 46% 45% 50% 47% 57% 35% 22% 41%


Disagree 14% 13% 13% 21% 11% 24% 44% 14%




Female Player Access to Pathway Opportunities X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 16% 17% 13% 25% 20% 15% 10% 14%

Agree 27% 25% 26% 31% 37% 26% 10% 32%


Disagree 24% 22% 25% 22% 17% 26% 40% 29%


Equality in Access to Pitches X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Strongly Agree 16% 17% 15% 12% 21% 17% 11% 14%

Agree 28% 24% 31% 33% 41% 25% 22% 24%


Disagree 25% 26% 23% 18% 21% 25% 44% 31%




Allocation of Resources by FV X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Women’s football receives significantly more resources and

support1% 2% 1% 0% 0% 1% 0% 3%


support3% 3% 2% 6% 3% 0% 9% 3%

Men’s and women’s football receive about the same level of

resources and support17% 15% 17% 32% 40% 12% 9% 19%

Men’s football receives slightly more resources and support 29% 35% 24% 32% 23% 30% 27% 22%


support49% 45% 56% 29% 33% 56% 55% 53%

Self-Grading X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Yes 18% 20% 12% 26% 37% 21% 18% 16%

No 34% 27% 36% 38% 40% 55% 27% 22%

Unsure 49% 53% 51% 35% 23% 25% 55% 63%



Main Purpose of Pathway X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other




14% 15% 12% 21% 13% 15% 36% 13%


reach their potential30% 31% 32% 29% 20% 26% 36% 25%

To showcase Victoria's best football clubs and player talent 2% 2% 1% 3% 0% 5% 0% 0%


across the whole of Victoria19% 17% 20% 21% 17% 23% 0% 22%


and girls can enjoy playing football29% 32% 29% 21% 33% 22% 18% 19%


Other Purpose of Pathway X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other




17% 18% 19% 12% 12% 14% 24% 14%


reach their potential18% 17% 18% 24% 21% 25% 18% 16%

To showcase Victoria's best football clubs and player talent 6% 6% 6% 4% 2% 8% 6% 8%


across the whole of Victoria28% 30% 27% 29% 35% 24% 18% 22%


and girls can enjoy playing football29% 28% 30% 27% 30% 28% 35% 35%




Dual Age Group X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Yes 41% 48% 36% 41% 40% 38% 36% 38%

No 26% 18% 31% 32% 30% 36% 27% 34%

Unsure 32% 34% 33% 26% 30% 26% 36% 28%

Additional Travel Time X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

Yes 40% 33% 46% 38% 43% 48% 64% 38%

No 23% 22% 22% 24% 27% 26% 9% 25%

Unsure 37% 44% 32% 38% 30% 26% 27% 38%

Maximum Travel Time X Role Overall Player ParentClub

Administrator

Club

Committee

Member

Coach Referee Other

0-9 minutes 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

10-19 minutes 1% 0% 2% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0%

20-29 minutes 11% 10% 14% 8% 5% 7% 0% 4%

30-59 minutes 47% 46% 45% 58% 64% 46% 60% 42%

60-90 minutes 29% 32% 26% 23% 23% 31% 20% 33%

More than 90 minutes 13% 12% 13% 12% 9% 13% 20% 21%

Unit 3, 456 High Street,

Prahran, VIC

3181

www.sportbusiness.com.au

Unit 3, 456 High Street,

Prahran, VIC

3181

www.sportbusiness.com.au

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