The Diamond Phoenix dragon boating team is a Canberra squad consisting of women of all ages.

Currently in its fifth season, Diamond Phoenix teams have experienced great success placing as the sixth fastest women’s dragon boat crew at the Australian Dragon Boating Championships in 2009 and second fastest women’s crew in the ACT in 2010.

President of Diamond Phoenix, Ms Nicola Hayes, said the focus of the team is empowerment and friendship, whilst continually striving for improvement.

‘We endeavour to be the premier women's team, not only within the ACT, but in Australia,’ she said. ‘We believe we can get there.’

Diamond Phoenix was recently selected by the Australian Sports Commission to receive a grant through the 2010-11 Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program.

The leadership grant will make it possible for three Diamond Phoenix coaches to undertake a dragon boat coaching course and become officially accredited coaches.

‘The course will give our coaches the attributes and skills needed to be strong leaders within our team.’

Consisting of 47 members, Diamond Phoenix hopes to raise the profile of dragon boating in the sporting and general community.

‘Dragon boating is one of the fastest growing sports with local and national teams competing internationally with great success.

‘Our long term goal is to consistently place among the top three women’s teams in Australia and to be chosen to represent Australia at international competitions,’ Ms Hayes said.

Dragon Boating is an all ages and inclusive sport and suitable for women who are both competitive and sporty and for those wishing to try a team sport. Dragon boating encourages camaraderie and friendship in a supportive environment.

The Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program provides development opportunities and training for women to reach their leadership potential on the sporting stage as coaches, officials and administrators. 

Members of Riding for the Disabled Association Northern Territory (RDA NT Inc.) are eagerly awaiting the arrival of equipment at their Top End Centre, that will allow them to perform and compete in the Equestrian discipline of carriage driving for the first time.

RDA NT Inc. has been awarded a $5000 grant through the Australian Sports Commission’s Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program which will allow them to purchase a carriage and start a carriage driving program.

The program will cater to riders with a disability that cannot ride because of the nature of their disability and those who are looking for an extra challenge.

RDA in the Top End Centre Manager Lesley Monro says the discipline will enable their members with a disability to compete not only in the Royal Darwin and the Fred’s Pass Shows in the carriage driving competitions against able-bodied competitors, but to also experience a new challenge within the program.

‘Carriage driving promotes a feeling of independence which can increase the level of self esteem and confidence and is a healthy and stimulating exercise,’ Lesley says.

‘Coach training is underway and with the arrival of our new carriage there is a real excitement and a sense of anticipation around the centre.

‘Many of our clients who cannot participate in existing riding programs are eagerly awaiting this new program.’

Lesley believes the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program encourages growth for women in sport and recognises the valuable contribution women make to sport through leadership from grass roots through to the elite level.

‘It also promotes equality and respect by enabling women to pursue higher goals in their chosen field.’

Twenty-one year old Victorian, Danielle Pascoe has become Australia’s second ever female National Yachting Judge.

Danielle received a $2,500 grant through the 2010-11 Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program – a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and the Office for Women that aims to boost the number of women in leadership roles.

The grant will allow her to gain more experience in judging at an international level by covering the cost of her National Judge’s qualification as well as attendance at several international meets.

‘I originally did my state judges course in 2008 just for something productive to do because I had a lot of rules and protest knowledge from hanging around juries and observing protests over the years.

‘Then in the National Judge exam I got the top mark and passed at National level and as ISAF want more female and younger judges I’ve received a lot of encouragement to do events and get my qualifications.’

With a father who is an International Sailing Judge, Danielle has been around sailing her entire life and made the decision to follow the officiating pathway to become more involved in the sport.

‘I have grown up travelling from regatta to regatta with my parents and for me it’s the social side of the regatta I really enjoy. I also love being out in the jury boat on the water in the middle of a really skilled fleet and watching the top sailors in action.’

Now that Danielle has a national qualification, she is set to gain more experience in top-class international events.

‘I went to the Laser Radial men and women’s World Championships in Scotland in July and the Hobie 16 Worlds in China in August.’

This range of international experience means Danielle will have the opportunity to work alongside some of the sport’s top officials and competitors.

‘I don’t have the time, drive, or funding to get to a point where I can frequently go to major interstate and international events as a competitor, but as a volunteer official I have a lot more opportunities.’

Danielle’s future plans include applying for her International Judge’s qualification and continuing to move up through the officiating ranks.

Her advice to other young women is, ‘Just do it. Don’t worry about whether you can or can’t do it, just give it a shot and do not be afraid to ask for help and advice.’

The ACT Football Federation (Capital Football) wants to inspire more women to realise their potential through football (soccer).

The organisation has received a $10 000 grant as part of the 2010-11 Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program, a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Office for Women.

The grant will support a mentoring and development program for a group of ten women who are current or aspiring leaders in the areas of refereeing, club management and governance.

Capital Football CEO Heather Reid said the program is aimed at increasing the number of women in key positions in football and motivating other women to take on similar challenges and roles.

‘The program will bring valuable assistance to women in football, providing guidance through mentoring as well as ongoing support with development opportunities.’

Heather has been instrumental in forming, developing and promoting opportunities for women and girls in sport and physical activity, predominantly through football since 1978.

She has worked in management, consultancy and leadership positions for organisations such as Women’s Soccer Australia, Womensport Australia and the ASC as well as lecturing in sport management at the University of Canberra.

In 2000, Heather received the Australian Sports Medal for her contribution to sport and in 2006 she received the Margaret Pewtress Ausport Award for her work as a mentor and leader in advancing programs and opportunities for women in sport.

‘My goal has always been to lead a unified sport with a level playing field for all participants,’ said Heather.

In 2004, she was the first woman appointed as CEO of a State football federation. Since then she has led the integration of all aspects of football in the ACT – for male, female, junior, indoor and outdoor players along with referees and coaches. 

Heather believes that whilst player participation and the opportunities available to women and girls has increased significantly in football, the severe lack of women in leadership, coaching and refereeing remains under-represented – like in many other sports, particularly the traditional male football codes. 

‘The ASC grants and scholarships program is very important because it provides female coaches, referees, and managers the opportunities to embark on a pathway to sport leadership.

‘It supports their education, qualifications and lifelong involvement in sport.’

The Port Lincoln Gymnastics Club in South Australia has received a $3000 Sport Leadership Grant to assist its female coaches develop their skills.

The grant will provide the opportunity for eight female coaches to attend the 2011 Annual Gymnastics Educational Congress in Adelaide.

The Congress delivers a weekend of workshops, courses and information sessions to coaches, judges and Kindergym leaders involved with Gymnastics and Special Needs programs.

Meryl Davidson, gymnastics coach and club administrator, said that the grant will ensure all coaches are fully accredited, maintaining the high level of coaching offered through the club.

‘For Port Lincoln Gymnastics Club it is imperative that the coaches are up to date with their Technical Accreditation, current coaching practices and techniques. ‘

Meryl became involved in gymnastics when she first enrolled her children into classes.

‘I have always had a passion for gymnastics and my kids were always upside-down monkeys, I needed them to be safe in that environment and learn how to do tricks properly.

The club currently has around 400 members ranging in age and skill level.

‘I coach the National Development Program competition stream gymnastics levels one to six and have several mentors in Adelaide helping me learn higher level coaching skills.

The 2010-11 Sports Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women – a join initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and the Office for Women, have been presented to 117 individuals and organisations around Australia.

‘The grant will help us support the youth of Port Lincoln, relieve funding pressures and help us move forward as an organisation,’ Meryl said.

Young South Australian horse rider Kirsty Stuart has received a 2010-11 Sport Leadership Grant to kick-start her career in equestrian coaching.

Kirsty is currently a riding member and instructor at the Northern Hills Pony Club in South Australia and has been riding horses from a very young age. 

‘My mother loved horses so my sister and I always had ponies to ride and we regularly attended pony club,’ Kirsty said.

The 28-year old recently received a $1000 grant through the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program, a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and the Office for Women, that will provide financial assistance so that she can complete an Introductory Coaching Certificate.

The Introductory Coach Course will provide Kirsty with the essential skills and knowledge to offer basic coaching. This course is fundamental to all equestrian coaching for general riding, vaulting and carriage driving. 

‘The course will provide me with the skills to effectively deliver information on horse management and general riding skills to students,’ she said. 

Not only will Kirsty benefit from the professional development, her pony club will also be able to provide a higher level of quality service coaching to young athletes.

‘So far, my coaching career has been nothing but enjoyable and rewarding,’ Kirsty said. ‘I love being involved with the riders at my club; the children are enthusiastic and so willing to learn.’

Kirsty aims to progress through a series of coaching courses in the near future.

‘One day, I hope to be recognised within the industry as a quality coach who has experience with all levels of riders.

‘I also hope to use this knowledge to help my own riding and horse management skills.’

The Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women are aimed at providing women in sport with support and access to leadership training and development opportunities to assist in establishing them in the sport industry.

Each year, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Office for Women provides Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships to support the development of women within the sporting system.

South Australian Carly Williams has been fortunate enough to receive a grant under the 2010-11 program to support her coaching career in cycling. The grant has made it possible for Carly to complete her Level 1 Cycling Coaching Accreditation course as well as health and nutrition training.

The accreditation course has been developed by Cycling Australia in accordance with ASC guidelines to educate, assist and develop coaches in the field of cycling. ‘My aim is to both improve my own level of knowledge about optimum cycling performance as well as to arm myself with the skills to assist others in achieving their goals,’ Carly said.

‘I hope to gain coaching accreditation that will allow me to work with Cycling Inform on the remote coaching program, in a coaching role.’

Carly took up competitive cycling five years ago and has more recently started to train and race on the road.

'Cycling has helped me to turn my life around and to gain control of my health and fitness’ she said. ‘I used to be unfit, unhealthy and overweight but now I can race competitively in cycling endurance events; it’s a massive personal achievement.’

Carly’s most memorable achievement was in 2007 when she spent ten days riding across the French Pyrenees, riding up to 90 kilometres everyday and climbing some of the toughest mountains. 

‘I never thought I would be able to do that when I first started riding,’ she said. Carly hopes the coaching accreditation will allow her to be more involved in the cycling industry.

‘My interest in coaching is not so much on the elite development level, but more so working with everyday people who want to get the best out of themselves.’

The Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program aims to boost the number of women in leadership roles and increase their representation on national sporting organisation boards from current levels of just 25 per cent.

Faye Luke has many titles to her name: South Australian women’s lawn bowls coach, National youth lawn bowls assistant coach and Sliver Tier coach, but she can now add one more title to her collection.

Faye was recently selected along with 116 other projects for women to receive funding under the 2010 Australian Sports Commission Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program.

‘It’s very exciting that lawn bowls was chosen as one of the sports to be recognised,’ Faye said. ‘It will allow me to pursue my role to become an elite coach.’

The $8,500 scholarship is to be awarded over three years and will fund the completion of various courses and mentoring for development as a high performance lawn bowls coach.

Earlier this year, Faye led South Australia to a silver medal at the Australian Sides Championship in Holdfast Bay.

‘It was a real thrill to collect that silver medal,’ she said.

Faye is now looking forward to utilising her scholarship to further her coaching ambitions.

‘My long term goal is to be able to mentor other women coming through the coaching ranks.’

Faye was presented with her Sports Leadership scholarship by the Minister for Sport Kate Ellis at a special event held recently in Adelaide.

The ASC’s Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program has helped more than 16,500 women over the past eight years and focuses on individuals and organisations across Australia in the areas of coaching, officiating, governance, management, administration and communications and media.

The scholarships are aimed at women who are already established at a reasonable level in sport to assist them in attaining prominent leadership roles within sporting organisations.

Kilsyth Basketball Association received an organisational grant (up to $10,000) as part of the Australian Sports Commission’s 2009-10 Sports Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program allowing 15 of their female referees to participate in a Female Officiating Advancement program.

Kilsyth and Mountain District Basketball Association conducts competitions for over 1000 domestic teams per week with participants from around Victoria including the Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah municipals.

The Female Officiating Advancement program was developed by Kilsyth Basketball to provide further development to younger female referees.

Business Development Manager of Kilsyth Basketball Mr Ben Turner said the program entails fortnightly seminars featuring a series of presenters covering topics on both sport and life skills.

‘The association has a strong development pathway that provides opportunities for coaches, referees and administrators to achieve success,’ Mr Turner said. ‘The grant allowed us to secure ten guest speakers and mentors who would inspire and support our female referees.

‘Funds were also used to send six female and two male referees to Newcastle to officiate in the Australian Schools Championships where they received an intense week of officiating and education.

‘Prior to the program, we were having a lot of trouble progressing referees onto the junior state panel,’ he said. ‘The program has seen four females progress to the next level with further referees expected to progress in the next 12 months.’

The grants and scholarships are aimed at providing women in sport with support and access to leadership training and development opportunities to assist in establishing them in the sport industry.

‘There is definitely a gap for female coaches, referees and administrators within all sports and it is important to provide not only the programs but the structures to ensure they can progress and succeed,’ Mr Turner said.

The ASC’s Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships program has helped more than 16,500 women over the past eight years and focuses on individuals and organisations across Australia in the areas of coaching, officiating, governance, management, administration and communications and media.

Rachael Roberts, General Manager of Swimming Australia’s Commercial and Communications section, is a 2009–10 SLGSfW grant recipient. She saw the grants as an opportunity to pursue her career ambition of sitting on the board of an organisation and used her funding to complete an intensive Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Roberts gives the SLGSfW program high praise, crediting it with helping her take a major step towards becoming a leader in her field.

‘I have to say that gaining the grant was what drove me the most,’ Roberts said. ‘Being able to do the course has reinforced to me the serious commitment a director has to make. It requires as much dedication as any full-time job.’

The 32-year-old Canberran said attending the five-day governance course opened her eyes to the responsibilities board members have to their organisations and she believes such courses should be compulsory for anyone contemplating being on a board.
Roberts said her interest in becoming a company director stemmed from her work both with and outside of Swimming Australia.

‘I report to my board, so this course has helped me better understand the challenges and the environment in which they work and improves my work in that way, and it has helped me better appreciate the work of boards generally.’

She said she had been inspired by Swimming Australia Chief Executive and former Canberra Raiders CEO Kevin Neil who was not only a mentor but a ‘great advocate for women working at all levels in sport’.

‘I think women can offer diversity and another point of view in a male dominated boardroom and I am also young, so I have that knowledge of new work trends as well as the theoretical base behind it.’

Roberts’ project was one of 132 across the country to be supported by the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women in 2009.

When CEO of Women’s Golf Victoria, Bronwen Young, started with the organisation in April 2007, she could have been overwhelmed; balancing the intricacies of relationships between the volunteer board she reports to and the paid administrative team she manages. Instead, she saw the challenge as an opportunity to improve her leadership skills.

To help her realise this opportunity, Young made use of an Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Sport Leadership Grant for Women to take an emotional intelligence leadership course for middle and senior managers. Emotional intelligence (EI) techniques are used by managers to help them understand their own emotions, recognise the emotional states of other people and groups, and use that information effectively.

The ASC and Office for Women’s Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships are offered to inspire and assist women in the sports industry to reach their full potential in leadership, through education and development opportunities.

The three-day intensive residential program Young took with the Melbourne Business School focused on managers improving their EI skills, which, in turn, helps improve productivity and performance across business teams as well as enhancing their understanding of individuals when managing teams.

‘I have extensive business experience and have managed large teams in previous roles but I’m always keen to improve my skills and knowledge,’ Young said. ‘I felt that [this course] would help me better understand and manage the dynamic between my administrative team and the Board.’

Young said the course more than fulfilled her expectations.

‘I found it to be the most enlightening and enjoyable development program I have completed. The program has validated my management style and techniques … I have also learned valuable insights on how to improve my EI skills in the areas of emotional self-management and emotional self-control.

‘It is a way of improving my leadership capabilities for my current role and any future roles I may choose to take [and] I was delighted to get assistance from the Australian Sports Commission for part funding of the program.’

Young also negotiated a part scholarship with the Melbourne Business School and received funding from Women’s Golf Victoria to cover course costs.

Living on an 180 000 acre property 110 kilometres north-west of Bourke in 2005 understandably reduced Michelle Mort’s options for accessing swimming lessons for her two young sons.
Yet when Mort and her husband sold up and moved into Bourke in 2006, her options failed to improve.

The gap in services prompted Mort to start her own swim school and with little in the way of training, experience or resources, Mort relied on her own ‘get up and go’ attitude and help from the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program — a joint initiative between the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Government Office for Women. The grants and scholarships are offered to inspire and help women in the sports industry reach their leadership potential through education and development opportunities.

‘I started with an AUSTSWIM Learn to Swim class which the ASC gave me a grant to attend, and while that was good, it didn’t really show me how to teach from really young kids right up to older people,’ Mort said.

She went on to gain her Infants Aquatics, Teaching Adults, Competitive Strokes, Green Licence swim coach accreditation and Bronze License Coaching Qualification, all with the ASC’s support, and in spite of the barriers presented by finding childcare for her sons and travelling as far away as the Gold Coast to train.

Now, Mort has gained further ASC support through the 2009–2010 Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women to complete a certificate course in training and assessment that will allow her to train swim coaches and timekeepers at the Bourke Amateur Swimming Club.

‘There is no one person around to train these people and getting anyone in to do that sort of training means we’ve got to get people from Sydney, over 900 kilometres away,’ Mort said.

‘The way I see it, the more accredited people we have around, the more everyone understands what they need to do, the better our club runs and the better off everyone will be.’

The 40-year-old remembers the enjoyment she had from recreational swimming in her youth, and wanted the same opportunities for her children, Barney and Charlie.

‘At the age of four, my kids had never been to a swimming pool,’ she said. ‘When we moved into town [Bourke] I thought, great, we’ll get them to lessons, but there was nothing around’.

She started a swim school in 2006 with 40 children. Now she has more than 100.

Ironically, she hasn’t formally taught either of her own children to swim. ‘They basically didn’t want to learn from Mum,’ she laughed. ‘But because they’ve spent so much time at the pool with me, they seem to have adapted well. My seven-year-old is actually swimming quite well.’

Mort said she gains great satisfaction from seeing ‘a huge pile of five and six-year-olds who are capable swimmers and a large number of younger children who are confident enough to get themselves out of the water if they fell into a pool’ as well as older children stepping up to squad training.

‘This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,’ she said. ‘Seeing a little kid who’s scared of the water at the beginning of the season then swimming 10 or 25 metres is just amazing.’

Mort’s is one of 132 educational opportunities across the country to be supported in 2009 by the Sports Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women.

‘Speed dating for mentors’ is just one of the original and practical ideas to come from a recent Women in Football Governance Workshop hosted by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC).

The workshop — funded through the Australian Sports Commission and Office for Women’s Sports Leadership Grants — brought together 80 women including football administrators, volunteers, officials and paid employees.

They gathered to reflect on barriers to women becoming more involved as leaders in football and to discuss options for addressing those barriers.

WAFC Human Resources Manager Kate Rippon said the speed dating concept was suggested as a novel way to help potential mentors and mentees find common areas of interest and complementary skills.

‘Mentoring was something that came up a few times during group discussions,’ she said. ‘I think it was because a lot of women commented on the challenges in finding a mentor.

‘Another idea that came from the group discussions was to develop online forum access as part of a facilitated process like a database, so that women could tap in and search for a mentor in a specific field.’

Rippon said other ideas to come from the workshop included hosting more governance discussions and offering workshops on time management to help women deal with their work–life balance.

‘What we’ll do now is flesh out and prioritise some of these options, look at potential strategies and take them to appropriate boards and industry management for approval.’

She said the feedback on the event had been 100 per cent positive. ‘We set out to help inspire and encourage more women to put their hands up for leadership roles … to help them see that doing so can also be of help in their professional lives. We also want football to be broadening its skills set, injecting a different level of enthusiasm and making it attractive for talented women to come to the [Board] table.’

The governance workshop included the following speakers and panel members:

• Jan Cooper, the first national female football manager appointed by the Australian Football League (AFL)
• The Hon. Julie Bishop, MP, the first female board member of the West Coast Eagles Football Club
• Kate Grieve, the first female board member of the Fremantle Football Club
• Linda Muir, Director AFL Canberra Board
• Catherine Vandeweide, first female president of a WA country football league
• Professor Helen Parker, first female WAFC board member
• Jo Davies, Chairperson of the East Perth District Football Development Council
• Kate Don, Vicsport Women in Sport Officer responsible for the Women on Boards — Good Governance Project.

Rippon said the governance workshop was a ‘first’ in football and could not have been possible without the support of the Australian Sports Commission and the Office for Women.

‘My role was initially to look at key professional development that could reach across the industry, but there’s not a huge budget for that. With the grant we were able to expand our focus, develop something incredibly worthwhile, make it viable and run it.’

The WAFC project is one of 132 across the country to be supported in 2009 by the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women.

For Deepali Mistry, judo has been central to her life since her brother Nitin encouraged her to start playing the sport at the age of three.

Now 33 years later and one of two active Australian female International Judo Federation (IJF) Continental Referees, Mistry is looking to immerse herself even further in the upper echelons of the sport.

With the help of a Sports Leadership Grant from the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Office for Women, Mistry is preparing for an IJF A refereeing license in 2011 that will allow her to referee at world championships and Olympic Games.

If successful, she will be the only active Australian woman referee at that level. But it’s no small task.

Mistry needs to attend ten international events in Europe and Asia over three years to build the necessary international experience, and with judo referees even at international level having to fund their own travel as volunteer officials, the financial strain alone is immense.

‘Last year I funded myself to attend one of the ten required tournaments at the European Men’s World Cup in Estonia,’ Mistry said. ‘The sports leadership grant is very important in that it helps me fund travelling, and continue working toward my goal. There is also an age limit of 50 to getting an international license. You have to work through four levels before being eligible to referee at the Olympics, so it is important to continue progress.’

Mistry hopes to use her new status and skills to influence and encourage women at state and national level.
‘Although we can see there is more encouragement for female referees at the international level in recent years, judo refereeing still has very few female referees.

‘To develop quality female referees at the top level of the sport I believe they need more exposure to high pressure refereeing situations which help sharpen and tone skills.’

She said female referees were often doing refereeing as their ‘third job’, juggling responsibilities as mothers, partners and paid employees.

‘I think there is a need to make a conscious effort to create a more female/family friendly environment in refereeing at all levels. But I also think as a female referee, we need to manage our time to give more commitment to the sport.

‘Women also need to make more effort in encouraging fellow female referees. I guess once we start seeing female referees in higher positions, slowly we will see the shift.’

Mistry said she had been inspired by many international female and male referees along the way. But it was the encouragement of her mother Anjali Rakshe, who ‘set an example to believe in myself and live my dreams’, and the support of husband Nosh and daughter Elisha, that allowed her to make the transition from national medallist player to international referee.

‘Judo is not only a sport for me but also a way of life,’ Mistry said. ‘I love it as it has developed me not only as player and a referee, but also as an individual. Judo has given me discipline, life experience and best of all allowed me to travel and meet interesting people.

‘I thoroughly enjoy the pressure and challenge involved in refereeing.’

World surfing champion Layne Beachley, professional surfers and local club participants were among 30 stakeholders who stayed well and truly grounded at a recent workshop in Sydney to discuss the future of surfing women in Australia.

The October workshop was the first of two to be hosted by Surfing Australia to examine how the sport can encourage more women to be involved.

Both workshops are being supported through the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women program — a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Government Office for Women.

Surfing Australia Sports Development Manager Chris Symington said the sport was committed to providing pathways for all participants.

‘Surfing is not a gender-specific sport,’ he said. ‘However our ratio of female members to male members is still lower than where we would like it to be, so we felt it necessary to hear from a range of female stakeholders on how we can address this issue.

‘Firstly we just wanted to open up discussion about what these women felt were barriers to entering the sport and how the administration might go about breaking down these barriers.’

Among the barriers identified by workshop participants were lack of financial support; lack of media exposure; the need for better structure for women’s participation; and the generally male-dominated officiating, governance and administration system.

Symington said one overwhelming message from women was the need for them to have more representation on Boards so that they have a voice.

He said that as a direct result, Layne Beachley had recently been appointed to the Surfing Australia Board.

However, it was too early to forecast any other strategic outcomes resulting from the initial workshop.

‘[The workshop] was more about gathering ideas and the follow-up workshop, which should take place in April, will take this initial information and frame it in a more strategic context,’ Symington said.

He added that the reaction of participants to the process had been very positive.

‘They were glad to have the opportunity to put their point of view forward. The Australian Sports Commission grant for the workshop was very useful [in that] we were able to show our female members that we value their participation and continue to look at ways of growing their involvement.’

Surfing Australia’s project was one of 132 across the country to be supported in 2009 by the Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women.

Diana Taylor is a remarkable AFL administrator and leader who serves on the Board of the Geelong Football Club. Diana is one of 13 women who received a scholarship through the Australian Sports Commission’s Sports Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women (SLGSfW) 2009–10 program. The SLGSfW program was established as a way to assist women to reach their leadership potential on the sporting stage as coaches, officials and administrators.

Diana, who works as a commercial lawyer in Melbourne, has achieved a lot within Australian rules football. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Victorian Football League tribunal and appeals boards and the first female president of a men’s Melbourne metropolitan football league (the Western Region Football League, 2008-09). As president of the Western Region Football League, Diana established the Women’s Football Foundation, an organisation that encourages and promotes the role of women in Australian rules football.

Earlier this year Diana was appointed to the Board of the Geelong Football Club. To help her prepare for this role she used her SLGSfW scholarship to fund study towards a diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors and to take a media training course.

Diana has found the SLGSfW program extremely valuable. She is especially enthusiastic about the residential leadership workshop, in which she participated in October last year.

‘The residential weekend enabled me to take time out to focus on what is important to me in sport, what I want to achieve and how I might achieve these goals.’

‘It is an invaluable part of the scholarship experience and also provided me with the opportunity to meet many inspiring women from across Australia who are passionate about sport and want to take on greater leadership roles within their respective organisations.’

Diana believes the SLFSfW program offers women remarkable opportunities to grow as leaders in sport that have never previously been available and encourages any woman who wants explore their leadership potential to apply.