Play Our Way Program awards $2.6m for Far North women’s sport participation
The Far North’s arm wrestle against capital cities to breed and maintain sporting talent has received a boost with a new program helping establish grassroots pathways.
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The Far North’s arm wrestle against capital cities to breed and maintain sporting talent has received a boost with a new program helping establish grassroots pathways.
The federal government’s Play Our Way program offered $200m to community organisations for local initiatives and ideas to address participation barriers faced by women and girls, and $2.6m has been allocated to Leichhardt electorate – with a focus on the Cape region.
AFL Cape York Limited, Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council, Aspire Cairns Community Limited and Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation were selected to receive the funding, among 660 applicants across the country.
Labor’s candidate for Leichhardt, former Taipan Matt Smith, stood by students of AFL Cape York Girls House at Cazalys Stadium on Thursday when speaking of the funding, and said “women’s sport for so long had sat in the shadow of men’s sport.”
“After a (recent) netball event, I understood that I had to be encouraging girls and women into sport and insuring there are pathways moving forward, so they can continue their sporting journey, not just as kids, but through adulthood,” Mr Smith said.
AFL Cape York general manger Rick Hanlon said the funds to his organisation would not only help his organisation deliver a sporting pathway, but also use the newly-funded programs to help encourage girls in remote communities into school and offer health and social wellbeing education.
“The money we’ve received will go towards creating a specific female pathway for young girls from a daycare and Auskick level to primary school footy, youth footy and then hopefully one day an opportunity around AFLW.”
Asked if the Play Our Way Program would contribute to a larger goal of establishing a Far North AFLQW team, Queensland Senator Nita Green said the focus of the funding was towards grassroots initiatives.
“This was about making sure that programs that have the ability to have participation rates and lift and get girls involved would get the funding,” she said.
“Most of these grants we’re providing are for programs, rather than building a new change room, it’s really about making sure there’s resources to actually run the programs.
“In terms of AFLW, I want to say it’s fantastic that we’ve got Hawthorn coming here. What we’ve heard from the council is they have a strategy to make Cairns a capital when it comes to women’s sport and women’s sport development, so we’ll keep working with all different types of clubs across Cairns to make that a reality.”
It’s understood the AFL’s current licensing scheme would not allow for a breakaway Cairns-based AFLW franchise.
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Originally published as Play Our Way Program awards $2.6m for Far North women’s sport participation
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