Aussies women’s sport scores a $200m upgrade

Sporting facilities for women and girls will get a $200 million upgrade as the federal government moves to ensure more events such as Matildas games are on free TV.

Sporting facilities for women and girls will get a $200 million upgrade as the federal government moves to ensure more events such as Matildas games are on free TV.

Anthony Albanese will on Saturday announce a new Play Our Way program to fund the improvement of sporting facilities and equipment specifically for women in response to the “extraordinary” rise in female participation in community sport.

The Prime Minister said the government wanted women and girls to have the facilities and the support to choose a sport they loved.

“The Matildas have given us a moment of national inspiration, this is about seizing that opportunity for the next generation, investing in community sporting facilities for women and girls around Australia,” he said.

“Sport is a great unifier and a great teacher — it brings communities together, it teaches us about teamwork and resilience and the joy of shared success.”

Cairns Pythons junior netball players Hayley Graham, 13, Jade Jeffries, 13, Lily Rogers, 14, Ella Rogers, 12, Ella Palmer, 11, and Bianca Graham, 13, will be cheering on the world champions Diamonds when they travel to Cairns for the first time on October 25. Picture: Brendan Radke

The government is also releasing a series of proposals outlining three potential reform models to modernise Australia’s anti-siphoning rules to ensure more live sport is accessible on television for free.

Options under consideration include preventing streaming and online services and subscription TV broadcasters from acquiring a right to covering an event on the anti-siphoning list until a free-to-air broadcaster has a right to televise the event.

PM Anthony Albanese takes a selfie with fans prior to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 Group B match between Australia and Nigeria at Brisbane Stadium. Picture: FIFA via Getty Images

The reforms also recommend adding the Paralympic Games, the AFL Women’s Premiership, the NRL Women’s Premiership and NRL Women’s State of Origin Series to the anti-­siphoning list.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said every Australian deserved a chance to enjoy live and free coverage of these events “no matter where they live or what they earn”.

“Broadcasting iconic sporting and cultural events helps us to create shared experiences, fosters a collective Australian identity and contributes to grassroots community-based participation,” she said.

Sport Minister Anika Wells said the Play Our Way program will help the next generation of female of athletes enjoy safer sporting facilities.

Sports Minister Anika Wells says the funds will help girls and women enjoy sport for life with better and safer facilities. Picture: Getty Images

“Too often women and girls are changing in men’s bathrooms, wearing hand-me-down boys uniforms, playing with men’s equipment on poor fields that boys’ teams wouldn’t train on,” she said.

“Play Our Way will address these issues to help women and girls enjoy sport for life.”

The program guidelines are still being developed but it is expected applications for funding will open from early 2024.

Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher said gender equality didn’t happen overnight but it was clear “something has changed” in Australia amid the Matildas wave and it felt like the nation was “getting closer”.

“You can’t be what you can’t see — and women and girls in this country have seen that they have a place in sport in this country,” she said.

“That their achievements matter, that their athleticism should be celebrated and that their nation will get behind them.”

Originally published as Aussies women’s sport scores a $200m upgrade