Sport For All
A toolkit to help sporting clubs and active recreation settings to take positive action towards gender equity and achieving fair access and usage of community infrastructure for all genders.
The Sport for All Gender Inclusive Toolkit is a practical self-assessment tool to help clubs and active recreation settings align with the principles of Fair Access. It helps identify strengths and potential areas for improvement to increase participation, opportunities, visibility, and access for women and girls, transgender, and gender diverse people.
Sport is a highly visible and valued feature of Victorian culture and identity, and provides many opportunities to enrich communities through supporting good physical and mental health and promoting respect and fairness for all people.
Sport for All Gender Inclusive Toolkit includes the self-assessment audit tool, snapshot survey and action plan template.
The Sport for All Gender Inclusive Toolkit and project is funded by a Victorian Government Change our Game Grant. Project partners include Inspiro Health, Yarra Ranges Council, Maroondah City Council, Manningham City Council and Whitehorse City Council.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Fair Access Policy, introduced in 2022, aims to take positive action towards achieving gender equality in the access and usage of publicly owned community sports and recreational infrastructure across Victoria.
The Fair Access Policy was put in place under the Gender Equality Act 2020, and developed by the Victorian Government’s Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, Sport and Recreation Victoria and VicHealth with the aim to help ensure that women and girls, transgender and gender diverse individuals experience equal opportunities and an inclusive culture in sport and recreational infrastructures.
- Infrastructure
- Roles in Sport
- Allocation and Scheduling
- Leadership
- Culture and Environment
- Rewards, Celebrate and Prioritise
The Fair Access Policy (or an equivalent gender equitable access and use policy) is a mandated requirement for all Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Victoria to remain eligible for State Government community sports infrastructure funding.
The Fair Access Policy is not a mandatory requirement for sporting clubs and organisations, however, in order to access Victorian Government community sport infrastructure funding programs, sporting clubs must demonstrate how they are acting to support gender equitable use and policy.
The Fair Access Policy requires community sporting facilities to be made available for everyone. Ultimately, this means that women and girls, as well as men and boys, should have fair and reasonable access to the ‘best’ training and game times as well as to social and change room facilities.
Sport is a core part of our lives in Victoria. Everyone has the right to fully participate and reach their full potential. Without this change, women and girls will continue to face unfair circumstances and experience more barriers to sport than men and boys.
This creates an unequal playing field. Victoria has the chance to lead the country on this – so join the movement and show your support!
Ensuring sporting environments support people of all genders to feel safe and included in sport and experience the same respect, resources and opportunities as others, which ensures that everyone will receive the full benefits of sport and recreation.
Equitable access means equal access to training and game schedules, along with inclusive social and changing room amenities, should be extended to women and girls. Everyone has the right to fully participate on and off the field and reach their full potential.
No, but completing the audit tool and creating an Action Plan will help your sporting club or recreation settings to promote gender equality by aligning with the principles of Fair Access.
The toolkit can also help your clubs or recreation settings identify strengths and potential areas for improvement to increase participation, opportunities, visibility, and access for women and girls, transgender and gender diverse people.
Amazing, so you’ve already started on your journey to creating an inclusive environment for women and girls! The toolkit, Action Plan and Fair Access Policy will help your club extend upon this by ensuring that grounds and facilities are accessible for all genders. Unfortunately, it is still common for men and boys to be given the best and most popular training times as well as being allocated to the best and newest facilities.
The policy does not ask you to take away time from the men or boys, it just asks that consideration is given to women and girls when scheduling games or training sessions. Being open to change and shifting away from tradition is a simple way that men can help. After all, if we all left things ‘the way they’ve always been’ then the world would be stuck in the past. It’s time to make new traditions, and who knows, perhaps you’ll find a way that works better for everyone.
Your local Council recreation team will be able to help with any questions you may have. For questions related to the Toolkit, you can contact:
- Inspiro Health Promotion – P: (03) 9738 8801
- Yarra Ranges Council – P: 1300 368 333
- Maroondah City Council – P: 1300 882 233
- Manningham City Council – P: (03) 9840 9333
- Whitehorse Council – P: (03) 9262 6333
