Women in Sport
Increasing women’s participation in sport is vital for sustaining a development of the sector, because it has potential impacts on community development and health costs. There is a lack of quality research on the issues women face in participating in sport and recreation either as a participant, or in paid or voluntary roles within the industry.
Sport and Recreation Victoria supports a range of programs and initiatives which aim to increase women's participation in sport, including:
- Women in Sport fact sheets
- Women in Sport Education
- Women in Sport Leadership research program
- Sport Development for Women program
- Women’s Sport Participation program
- Revolutions for Women
- Count Us In!
Women in Sport fact sheets
The Women in Sport fact sheets are designed to ensure women’s participation in sport and recreation is safe, positive and enjoyable. Developed by the Victorian Branch of
Sports Medicine Australia (SMA), each fact sheet provides women and girls with practical advice and tips relating to injury prevention and management, diet, supplements and hydration as they move through various life-stages and face the challenges of being physically active. These fact sheets are a handy resource for individuals and community advisers such as school nurses, teachers, and health and educational professionals.Women in Sport Education
Sport Education Victoria, in conjunction with program partners, is conducting the Women In Sport Education (WISE) project. WISE will look at the design and delivery of training for sport coaches, officials and volunteers in the rural and regional Victoria.WISE will also provide females in these roles across rural and regional Victoria with a clear pathway for developing their skills. Program partners such as Regional Sports Assemblies and State Sporting Associations will be given support in sport training and education throughout the project.
Women in Sport Leadership research program
The University of Ballarat is undertaking a long term action research program investigating the impact of leadership grants to women in the sport community. The Women in Sport Leadership research program will:
- Review a variety of women’s leadership programs and grant schemes to identify issues and best practice approaches. The findings will provide advice and guidance to Sport and Recreation Victoria on the implementation of the Women in Sport Leadership/Sport Development for Women program.
- Explore the experiences of women in leadership roles in sport organisations.
The research project will also determine whether the Women in Sport Leadership/Sport Development for Women program has improved the grant recipients’ skills and knowledge in their role as leaders, opportunities for career development and capacity to facilitate organisational change.
Sport Development for Women program
This program is designed to boost the capacity of women as leaders and decision makers at all levels of the sport industry. It provides women with an opportunity to play meaningful and visible roles in sport through funding for professional development activities and a leadership workshop.
The valuable contribution this program has made to participants and their communities is demonstrated by the recognition of the participants as leaders and role models in their communities.
Read about the 2007 program recipients and the professional development opportunities they are undertaking in the 2007 Sport Development for Women Program (PDF14kb).
Read the 2005 Sport Development for Women Biographies (PDF 104kb) or the 2006 Sport Development for Women Biographies (PDF 108kb) for further information about recent grant recipients.
Find out how 10 Victorian women have made a difference in sport in the publication Ways Women Lead in Sport..
The 2008 Sport Development for Women funding round is now open. Guidelines are available and applications close 1 October 2007. Please refer to
Women’s Sport Participation Program
The Women's Sport Participation Program (WSP) fosters environments that encourage and support the full involvement of women and girls in sport from all backgrounds. The aim of WSP is to increase women’s and girls’ participation in sport, as well as to increase opportunities for women and girls to participate in leadership and decision making roles. The program targets specific sports of cricket, basketball and football and operates until 30 June 2007.
Revolutions for Women
The Revolutions for Women research project investigated gender differences in cycling, and the motivations, supports and constraints on women cycling. As part of the findings, guidelines on Encouraging Women to Cycle (PDF 913kb) have been developed. These guidelines offer great tips on getting into cycling and maintaining your momentum.
A further initiative of the research is the
Women's Cycling Network. The site includes a directory of cycling events and bicycle user groups and clubs, as well as a discussion forum.Other key stakeholders involved in the projects are:
To find out more about women’s cycling use the above related links or contact us.
Count Us In!
Count Us In! is a project being conducted by Victoria University to identify the key success factors in effective participation programs for women in Victoria. Count Us In! will produce a number of benefits including:
- identifying successful strategies for attracting and retaining women’s participation in active recreation community programs
- developing appropriate benchmarks and measures of successful programs
- creating a framework for benchmarks and measures that can be used to evaluate programs and contribute to the growth of research in this area
- identifying successful strategies to provide the foundations for implementing community programs that increase the lifelong participation of women
- developing appropriate printed resources
Count Us In - Developing Physical Activity Programs for Women (PDF 972 kb) guidelines now available
This page contains downloadable documents. In order to view PDF documents you will require
Linked page opens in a new window