Victorian sport report calls for boards to appoint women or lose funding

A Victorian Government appointed Taskforce has recommended that sporting associations and peak bodies in the State will need to fill at least 40% of their board positions with women or miss out on funding.

The proposal is among a range of recommendations made by a Taskforce appointed to advise on encouraging more women to take on governance and leadership roles in sport.

With the Victorian Government reportedly set to adopt the report in full, the proposal could have implications for funding of state sporting organisations that do not either meet the quota or fail to appoint additional female directors.

The Taskforce, chaired by Richmond Football Club President Peggy O’Neal, also recommended giving greater prominence to women’s sport in the media and co-opting the male champions of change program for grassroots and semi-elite sporting organisations, said it was “inequitable and wasteful” not to take advantage of the female talent pool when recruiting for senior executives in sporting organisations.

The move echoes moves commenced by former Federal Sports Minister Kate Lundy in 2012, that, since 2013, has seen the Australian Sports Commission adopt mandatory governance principles for national sporting organisations to have 40% representation of women on boards.

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