New guide launched to support safety and inclusion in Victorian sporting clubs

The Victorian Government is supporting sporting clubs across the state to strengthen respectful and safe environments.

Victorian Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Vicki Ward and Victorian Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today launched the new Safe and Inclusive Sport: preventing gender-based violence guide.

This innovative guide is supporting gender equity and further action to prevent gender-based violence through community sport.

To prevent gender-based violence a whole-of-community response working alongside government is vital.

Minister Ward noted “Preventing gendered violence requires a whole of community effort. Through Government partnering with our community organisations, sporting clubs, leagues and associations, we see strong results in creating respectful and safe cultures in our communities. Strong cultures where sexism, disrespect and violence are not tolerated.”

Minister Spence added “Sport helps shape communities and individuals and this new guide will make a positive difference on and off the field in our communities today and for generations to come.”

The guide provides strategies to help organisations – including state sporting associations, local councils and women’s health services – support local sports clubs, leagues and associations to build and strengthen safe, inclusive and respectful cultures.

The resource also includes examples of partnerships and projects that are currently driving cultural change and contributing to the prevention of gender-based violence in workplace and sport settings.

This includes the important work of GenWest in partnership with the Western Bulldogs Football Club, Women’s Health Grampians and the Western Football Netball League to run a community education campaign called 'Champions of the West’.

The Champions of the West campaign is levelling the playing field for women, girls, and gender-diverse footy players. It champions respectful relationships which leads to the prevention of gender-based violence.

The GenWest led initiative is one of 12 community-based sporting projects across the state recently supported with a $1.2 million funding boost from the Labor Government through its Preventing Violence Through Sports Grants program.

The guide also supports the delivery of Victoria’s ground-breaking family violence prevention strategy Free From Violence. This strategy recognises the importance of sport in building a culture of respect and gender equality and prevent gendered violence across communities.

For more information about the Safe and Inclusive Sport Guide visit sport.vic.gov.au/safe-and-inclusive-sport.