With Richmond’s AFLW debut scheduled on Friday February 7 against Carlton at Ikon Park, the Club took another important step as a leader in the space of gender equality, joining forces with partner, VicHealth in hosting an event in Eltham last week, empowering women across Victoria to get active, regardless of how good they are and what they look like.

The This Girl Can - Victoria campaign, which Richmond has supported as a Foundation partner since its inception in 2018, has to date, been directly responsible for more than four-hundred-thousand Victorian females, aged eighteen years and over, getting active. It is a campaign Richmond President Peggy O’Neal says the Club is proud to support.

“The public health issues associated with female physical inactivity are fairly well known, but it’s another thing to actually do something about it and I think VicHealth is to be congratulated in making it its mission to encourage and facilitate the participation of women and girls in all types of sport and recreation,” O’Neal said.

As Chair of the Victorian Government’s taskforce into Women In Sport in 2014, O’Neal added, “I believe that This Girl Can has been vital to Victoria taking the significant step to help women overcome our fears, and to bring about the changes needed to respond to the issues women and girls articulated as to why they were not as physically active as they would like to be.”

VicHealth Manager, Social Marketing, Melanie Fineberg says that the figures point to an enormous community issue with women gripped by fear of judgement when it comes to being active.

“Our research suggests that many of the women in this room today will also have experienced that feeling of being too embarrassed or too intimidated to get out and get active, particularly in public spaces.”

However, the campaign is tackling this issue head on and has made enormous inroads into changing the disabling mindset.

“This is about empowering women to feel comfortable in their bodies and in public spaces. It’s about empowering women to get active whenever, wherever and however they choose, without having to worry about being judged by others. If we focus on how that activity makes us feel, instead of focussing on how we look, then we really enjoy it and actually stick at it for longer.”

Richmond Women's AFLW star, Sabrina Frederick, speaking as part of a panel for the morning event, added that overcoming fear of judgement takes consistent practice; “It’s the practice of giving yourself better judgement and learning better. Giving yourself positive self-talk.”

Richmond’s Head of Women’s Football, Kate Sheahan said the sports industry has come a long way in recent times with regards to gender equality; “It’s a dream come true that I get to be the Head of Women’s Football at an AFL club and ten years ago that was never on the cards.”

Nillumbik Mayor, Councillor Karen Egan reinforced her Shire’s commitment to gender equality and inclusivity for all. A committed supporter of VicHealth’s This Girl Can week in March, the council has also taken significant steps to address the issue from a year-round approach.

“One of the historical barriers from encouraging women and girls to take up sport in the Shire, has been the lack of adequate facilities. We’ve committed millions of dollars, along with the State Government, to either upgrade or rebuild many sporting pavilions within the Shire, to make them female-friendly with changing facilities for female players and umpires.”

Added Richmond supporter and program participant, Marg Shanahan; “This girl can inspire others to get out and improve themselves and I say that because I know personally three of my blind friends who have joined gyms because I did and they have seen what it has done for me.”

This Girl Can week will run from March 23 to 29, with a variety of free activities across the State for women to participate in. Go to VicHealth’s website for further details: https://thisgirlcan.com.au/this-girl-can-week-2020

And you can also check out what is happening at the nearest Aligned Leisure to you: https://alignedleisure.com.au 

#ThisGirlCanVIC