THE STATE OF PLAY | NEWSLETTER JULY 2023

Hello friends,

I grew up playing football at North Coburg United in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Throughout my junior years, there was only ever 1 girl in our entire club. She played on one of our boys' teams and was an absolute gun, going on to play for the Matildas at the Olympic Games and World Cup.

Thankfully, times have changed. Women and girls have expanded the space in our understanding of football and who plays it. In Australia and many parts of the world, the game is now looking up and pursuing loftier goals. Football Victoria and other major football bodies in the country are aiming to achieve a 50/50 gender balance by 2027.

To view this aim as merely focusing on player participation numbers doesn't do it justice. There's a huge focus on increasing the number of female coaches, referees, and those selected for committees at local and professional clubs.

Increasing these numbers is one thing, but raising the standard and respect for women and girls in clubland must happen simultaneously. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it's also the smart thing to do - creating the football environment that's worthy of member retention policies beyond 2027.

The World Cup will be a game-changer for women's sports in this country, and while I enjoy the next month of football talent (I'm cheering for the Matildas; my son is supporting Nigeria, who also have a cool nickname: The Super Falcons!), I'll also be cheering on the progress of 50/50 in football and the cultural change needed to keep it that way.

**

We'll be at the National Sports Convention on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 July. Reach out if you'll be around and would like to chat! 

Tarik Bayrakli
Manager, Club Respect

TOP POSTS ON CLUB RESPECT SOCIALS

Check out our (mainly) LinkedIn and (sometimes) Facebook and Twitter social media posts and join in the conversations! 

“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.” Usman Khawaja didn’t walk past. He spoke up to remind Marylebone Cricket Club members to uphold the higher standards of their club.

A controversial dismissal in the England vs Australia 2nd Men's Ashes Test evoked both the “Rules of the game” and “Spirit of the game”, resulting in the Australian team being subjected to taunts and accusations of cheating as they walked back to Lord's Pavilion.

Initially, Australian players walked by seeming to ignore the abuse. But Usman Khawaja chose to call it out and help security identify the club members responsible.

Recently, The England Cricket Board responded to an independent report into the culture of English cricket by issuing an unreserved apology for its failure to adequately tackle discrimination. The report found that English cricket suffers from “widespread and deep-rooted” racism, sexism, elitism and class-based discrimination at all levels of the game and that it urgently needs reform.

Speaking up in these environments is especially important. Hats off to Usman Khawaja for taking a stand.

#SpeakUp #Culture #Cricket #Marylebone #Australia #England

Professional athletes are having their social media accounts “completely targeted” with relentless online abuse forcing them to remove their own accounts.

4 years after Tayla Harris spoke up about an online trolling campaign of her kicking a football, AFLW players Steph Chiocci, Jess Hosking and Izzy Huntington have called for more to be done to protect players.

In the unregulated “wild west'' of social media, how can we shield players from harmful comments that can negatively affect personal brand, reputation, livelihood, and mental well-being?

#ClubRespect #AFLW #Abuse #trolls

A beautiful moment in Spain with legendary referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz given a guard of honour by the players and farewelled by supporters after refereeing his final La Liga match.

Referees play a vital role in the game and deserve recognition for their valuable contribution.

#ClubRespect #Referee #Officiating

A total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials have been carefully selected to officiate at the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup. In a historic milestone, for the first time ever, there will be a referee from Palestine.

Heba Saadieh, born to Palestinian parents in the Palestinian Yarmouk refugee camp, has always been passionate about football. When her playing career stalled she noticed an opportunity to pivot to officiating, saying “I was watching a group of referees training and noticed they had no women among them. When I asked them about it, they suggested I join them. So, I did.”

Her journey took an unexpected turn when the Syrian civil war broke out in 2012, forcing Saadieh to flee her homeland. She initially sought refuge in Malaysia before eventually settling in Sweden, where she earned her international refereeing badge in 2016.

Saadieh will become the first man or woman from Palestine to referee at a FIFA World Cup. An incredible story of passion, hard work and perseverance. Congratulations to Heba Saadieh for this remarkable achievement!

#ClubRespect #FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness #Referee #Palestine

SPORTS INDUSTRY NEWS

Start to Talk Campaign Resources | Play By The Rules

When it comes to kids’ sport, ask the right questions. “How will our club keep our children safe?”

The Start to Talk campaign was developed in response to recommendations from the Royal Commission which identified sport clubs as having an important role to play in the prevention and detection of abuse.

You will find the important questions on the Play By The Rules website – read, download and discuss. It's time to #StartToTalk.

Strategies for multicultural communication | Inclusive Sport Design

This free live webinar will explore strategies for effective communication with multicultural audiences in community sport. This webinar is ideal for anyone involved in sport including club volunteers, athletes, coaches, administrators and leaders.

Hosted by Inclusive Sport Design: Thu 31st Aug 2023, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm AEST

We respectfully acknowledge the wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their custodianship of the lands and waterways.