The Richmond Football Club recently welcomed two very special new family members into its fold.
Born exactly two weeks apart, Milla Therese Deledio and Macie Joan Newman are the apple of their parents’ eyes. And rightly so.
If sport has taught us anything this year, it’s that moments like these are what makes AFL the best game on earth. We join together to celebrate the beautiful moments, we get behind one another during the toughest of times and we recognise when we’re falling behind, whether that be on or off the field.
Most recently, Richmond has done just this by openly acknowledging the work required to ensure women play a more meaningful role in our game. In partnership with the AFL and the Australian Sports Commission, the Club has initiated a research project investigating gender equity throughout the industry.
The importance of having women in leadership roles is not lost on the club; there is an abundance of research that illustrates that companies who have more women in senior management, CEO and board roles are not only more profitable, but deliver a new set of ideas, communication styles and decision-making methodologies than a less-diverse group can.
But equally as important is the recognition that it makes sense to have a league that is representative of its fan-base. It is no longer acceptable to simply ensure female members, television viewers and attendees abound.
They must also play a central role in how the game is managed. Recognising that sport can set a real tone for change, Richmond has now implemented a number of practical and effective initiatives to begin challenging some major barriers in this arena.
For example, our CEO Brendon Gale has committed to the ‘panel pledge’, whereby men who are asked to participate in or sponsor a panel or conference commit to improving gender balance by challenging the organiser’s efforts to ensure gender balance and women’s voices are part of their programs.
This aims to ensure more women are being given the opportunity to build their profiles and thereby the chance of obtaining a senior role. The club will also undertake unconscious bias education to further their understanding of current stereotypes and inequalities and endeavour to address these in both their thoughts and actions.
Also, much work is being done to analyse those roles that exist within our club which have traditionally been earmarked for males, allowing women equal opportunity to step into them.
But for me, the most exciting aspect is the genuine culture change around the ideology that women in senior roles throughout our sporting clubs are simply just how it should be.
From an internal perspective, it is not considered extraordinary that Peggy O’Neal, our pioneering president, resides in a traditionally male-dominated role. Such sentiments are fast becoming commonplace; a part of our DNA.
Anthony Miles summed it up perfectly when he stated that the only extraordinary thing out of this report is that “it just makes me wonder why within our industry it has taken so long”.
And in turn, the club continues to redefine what it means to be a leader.
Leadership at Richmond doesn’t simply refer to the way players lead over the white line, nor is it pertained to the boardroom table. It now resides in the respect that the RFC family show one another as they continue to challenge what it means to be a better club.
As Troy Chaplin highlights, it ultimately doesn’t matter who resides in which role – “as long as they are the right person for the job and have the same passion working for our club as what we do as players”.
For Jack and myself, to see the club invest seriously in its people to ensure a high performing and inclusive culture is not only a game-changer, but one of the best retention strategies in the AFL; the report and its outcomes were a consideration when we discussed Jack’s most recent contract negotiations.
But most importantly, how wonderful that Milla and Macie will grow up amongst a football family of true role models, dedicated to providing a community of talented members who not only respect but also encourage equal representation in all that they do.
I am sure that Chris and Lauren and Brett and Katie would agree, the opportunities for their daughters are just that extra-bit brighter for doing so. And who knows, we might even see them representing the Tigers themselves in the AFL’s inevitable national women’s league.
Visit the RFC website here to download the full Gender Equity Report.
(left to right): Chris, Lauren and Macie Newman; Brett, Katie and Milla Deledio.
Carly Zeigler is the partner of Richmond player Jack Riewoldt. Read her previous column on richmondfc.com.au, ‘My Maddie memories’.
