Grassroots footballers, cricketers, soccer players to benefit from $190m Budget changerooms splash

More than half a million girls and women are playing Aussie rules, but many have been forced to use communal showers and toilets at underequipped sporting clubs. But that’s about to change, with female grassroots footballers set to score big upgrades.

Carlton players Tayla Harris, Bri Davey and Darcy Vescio ahead of the AFLW grand final. Picture: Alex Coppel

Female grassroots footballers across the state will score much-needed upgrades to toilet blocks and showers in a $190 million ­Budget splurge.

Renovations to outdated suburban and country sporting clubs — where women footballers, cricketers and soccer players have access only to communal showers and toilets — are set to flow from the Morrison Government’s fresh commitment on Tuesday.

‘WHAT IS THIS GIRL DOING HERE?’: BRIANNA DAVEY

AFLW GF: BIG WATCH ON KEY CROW

MORE AFLW NEWS

It comes as Carlton prepares to take on the Adelaide Crows in tomorrow’s AFLW Grand Final at Adelaide Oval.

The roaring success of the AFLW competition saw female Aussie rules participation soar to 530,166 across the country in 2018, up 14 per cent on the previous year. That accounts for almost one-third of all Aussie rules players. There were 2281 female teams in 2018.

Port Melbourne’s girls’ players in their facilities in 2016. Picture: David Crosling

A public which schoolgirls were forced to change in due to lack of facilities. Picture: Valeriu Campan

But women and girls often don’t have access to appropriate ­facilities, forcing them to change behind towels on the side of fields and then go home to shower.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the funding would ­encourage and support more Australians to play sport at a grassroots level.

“Female changerooms should be standard, they shouldn’t be an exception,” Mr Morrison told the Herald Sun.

“It’s important that all ­Australians get to participate, including women and girls who need equal access to our playing fields and sporting ­facilities.

“This is our practical way of backing in women’s sport and building even stronger ­communities.”

A total of $150 million will be spent supporting the development of female facilities at sporting grounds through a new dedicated stream of funding for these activities.

There has been massive growth in women and girls playing Aussie rules. Picture: Jay Town

CALL FOR CASH SPLASH AMID FEMALE FOOTY BOOM

SPORTY WOMEN LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

A further $40 million for a third round of the Community Sport Infrastructure Program will also be provided towards local sporting infrastructure projects nationwide, with ­facilities for both men and women given priority.

Women’s sporting bodies have pleaded for upgrades to facilities amid a boom of young girls playing sports that were traditionally dominated by male participation.

Healesville Junior Football Club, in Melbourne’s east, has one changeroom shared by the boys and girls, which has one urinal, one toilet and a communal shower area.

“We have traditional communal footy showers but girls aren’t comfortable with that,” the club’s girls football manager, Anne-Marie Ebbels, said. “Ideally, we would have ­unisex changerooms to make the girls feel more comfortable because one changeroom for girls isn’t good enough.”

There was such an increase in girls’ teams that Victoria saw a shortage of ovals. Picture: Tony Gough

Cara Moulong and Remy Horrobin at their Cluden Cricket Club rooms last year. Picture: Penny Stephens

WHY THIS HAS BEEN A LANDMARK AFLW SEASON

West Coburg Junior Football Club’s home ground Shore Reserve can’t be used for girls because the young players have to walk through the changeroom to get to the male toilet.

“The girls would be happy to change in a tin shed because they love footy so much, but that’s not how it should be,” the club’s girls’ co-ordinator, Dee Brown, said.

“We would love to have separate facilities for the boys and girls so they can play at the same ground on the same day.”

Sandringham Soccer Club has no girls’ facilities at all, with one toilet with a door and one urinal. “There were girls changing in changerooms there I wouldn’t want anyone changing in,” former girls soccer co-ordinator Sven Samild said.

Also the co-chairman of the All Girls Cricket Competition in southeast Melbourne, Mr Samild said all 30 clubs had an issue with facilities.

“You wonder why we can’t retain girls in the competition, that’s a big reason,” he said.

[e-mail]