Tormore Reserve Boronia mural to be removed after concerns about lack of female sportspeople

An ageing mural at a Boronia footy ground that shows women walking dogs and running while men play sport is set to get the boot amid a push for more inclusivity.

The Tormore Reserve Boronia mural is set to be removed when the pavilion is upgraded with some raising concerns about its outdated representation of women in sport.

An ageing mural at a Boronia footy ground that shows women walking dogs and running while men play sport is set to get the boot.

And a women’s footy coach has supported calls for female footy players to be included in any future artworks at the ground, to better represent the inclusive club.

Knox Council is redeveloping the Tormore Reserve pavilion, with a 20-year-old mural on the outside wall set to be removed during the works.

It shows a male cricket player hitting a shot, a woman walking a dog, two men playing footy, and a woman and kids running.

At this week’s council meeting, Cr Yvonne Allred said after extensive assessment and consultation with key stakeholders and the community, it had been determined that the mural was eligible for removal.

The rationale behind the decision was due to the age and condition of the artwork along with feedback from the community noting its outdated representation of women in sport.

“As the upgrade of the new pavilion progresses the community would like to see that our public spaces reflect the diversity and inclusivity of Knox,” she said.

Boronia Hawks Football and Netball Club member Candyce Wright, who coaches one of the club’s women’s teams, said she would support a more inclusive mural in the future.

“For me if I was thinking of a mural that wanted to represent inclusivity within our sport it would include more women and young girls and equally have men with young boys as well,” she said.

“A blended version of what is there currently.

“I know that mural potentially holds value to past and present members at what was once a boys-only club but is now turning into a really great inclusive space for a lot of women.”

Ms Wright said the club had a strong girls and women’s program fielding teams in the under 12s, 14s and 16s and seniors.

The mural continues along the front of the pavilion.

Its senior team is currently second on the ladder in division one, and Ms Wright coaches a development team for women who want an outlet but don’t want the pressure of competing at a high level.

When the women’s program started in 2018 they had just 12 players and now field three sides.

“It’s super exciting to see how far we’ve come in such a short period of time in terms of women’s sport,” she said.

“I saw this gap for us at the club where mums were just traditionally team managers helping out in the canteen or trainers and now they actually have a space to play football and have something relatable with their kids as well.”

The mural is set to be removed when the local council upgrades the pavilion.

Knox Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch said the redevelopment of the pavilion would include the partial demolition of the building, an upper level extension and rendering of existing lower level external walls, with construction expected to start next year.

Cr Timmers-Leitch said the council sought feedback about the mural from Tormore Reserve sporting club members, who overwhelmingly supported its removal to make way for the pavilion redevelopment.

She said the mural was 20 years old, had faded and yellowed considerably over time and the anti-graffiti coating had been compromised.

She said a majority of those surveyed (66 per cent) indicated it’s time for the mural to be removed as part of the new pavilion upgrade.

Cr Timmers-Leitch said 49 per cent of respondents thought the mural did reflect the community that use Tormore Reserve however a number of comments addressed the lack of representation of female sportspeople or junior sportspeople who play at the reserve.