The Andrews Labor Government is backing women and girls in sport – with more funding for university-based research projects that will help women and girls to participate, lead and succeed in all areas of sport.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today announced four research projects funded through the Change Our Game Research Grants Program 2022-23.
From projects on workplace management, approaches to coaching, and supporting diversity in sport, the research will help identify real solutions to issues and barriers for women and girls in sport on and off the field.
The successful project recipients are:
- Effective anti-racism approaches for women and girls in community sport (Dr Kim Toffoletti, Aish Ravi, Professor Karen Farquharson and Associate Professor Karen Block)
- Improving community sport clubs’ gender diversity management (Dr Jordan Taylor Bakhsh, Acting Professor Katie Rowe and Professor Pamm Phillips)
- Building bridges across the gender divide – mobilising male allyship in sport coaching (Dr Zoe Anver, Associate Professor Helen Brown, Dr Luke Jones)
- Mapping intersectionality within the Victorian sport sector workplaces (Professor Emma Sherry, Eleanor Faulkner, Professor Tracy Taylor)
Dr Kim Toffoletti and Aish Ravi from Deakin University are leading an anti-racism research project that will explore women and girls’ experiences and responses to racism in community sport.
The project will consider the impacts of reporting racism and will create culturally relevant and gender-sensitive anti-racism resources. This project complements research funded in last year’s program on enabling Muslim girls in physical activity and sport, which explored parental attitudes and barriers to participation.
Since 2018, the Labor Government’s Change Our Game Research Grants Program has invested more than $390,000 in 18 research projects to address issues impacting women and girls in sport and recreation. The program also aims to support the career development of early career researchers with an interest in gender equality and sport.
As stated by Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence
“This program is driving behavioural and cultural change across the sport and recreation sector. The research will be vital in helping us achieve gender equality and providing better outcomes for everyone.”
As stated by Deakin University Research Lead Dr Kim Toffoletti
“The support provided by Change Our Game will enable an important piece of research to help inform community sporting clubs on effective anti-racism approaches, and how to make sport a fairer and more inclusive space for women and girls.”
