Bridging gap for women in 2020 Championships

Organisers of the CFA-VFBV Firefighter State Championships are considering a women’s only section following a request from Beazley’s Bridge.

Bridging the gap for women in the 2020 Championships

Zoe, Tara, Rendelle and Dee from Beazley’s Bridge Fire Brigade

The Championships will be held in Mooroopna on the last weekend of March 2020, where the Rural Senior and Junior Championships and the Urban Senior Championships will be held together for the first time.

Secretary and Treasurer for the Beazley’s Bridge Brigade Barry Wiseman is a passionate advocate for the aggregate getting started. He believes that even getting four or five teams in the first event would be a great start, and it can build from there.

“We applied for it not so much as a separate competition as there are three divisions within the seniors,” Barry explained.

“We have suggested having a women’s aggregate across the divisions – have one aggregate shield that they can all run for, and the shield would be a perpetual thing.”

Zoe, Tara, Rendelle and Dee make up part of the women’s team that have competed in the firefighter championships over the last few years in Rural Seniors.

These women, along with other people from their brigade and nearby brigades, have put in a request to have an all-women’s aggregate – where women’s teams compete against other women’s teams.

“A lot of the teams have a few women in them already,” Tara said. “If they knew there was a women’s aggregate, something they would be competitive in, it would encourage them to bring along their friends and create more girls’ teams.”

Although they’re aware many women will prefer to still compete in teams with male members of their brigades, this allows an additional opportunity for women who may not be as competitive in the mixed aggregates.

“I put the ladder up in our team, and at another competition they weren’t allowing that,” Zoe said. “For me, having a women’s competition would be great. Everyone gets a chance to get involved and be competitive.”

“You don’t have to be a pro-athlete to take part. You don’t even have to be able to run,” Rendelle said. “It would be a great starting point. We understand if there are only a couple of teams at the first event, and maybe we’ll get more teams in the next events.”

The women all have different roles in the team, but they are all in it to have fun.

“A lot of the time they’re all-male teams and the wives, girlfriends and families are there anyway,” Rendelle said. “There’s no reason why they can’t take part and have a bit of fun as well!”

/CFA News Release. View in full here.