NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2022

Hello friends,

One of the comments coming out of the Hawthorn Football Club issue is that ‘our country has a problem’, suggesting that as a nation, we are yet to come to terms with the extent and nature of racism; and the harm that is done to people.

The comment rings true. Sport, like art, mirrors society. The many episodes coming out of sport, all codes and all levels, just over the past few years alone, point to a more systemic societal problem.

Understanding racism, progressively addressing it - and eliminating it - is likely to come about from the interplay of two forces at work. The first is to value truth-telling. Truth-telling in our community clubs and communities will help everyone to better understand First Nations history and culture. The second is to commit to some introspection – to help unravel one’s own socialisation; locate the biases and stereotypes which are lurking within; to be prepared to scrutinise our own behaviours – and embrace change from within.

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Smart Plays is live! We were excited to have released Smart Plays out to the world last week and to present our first couple of episodes and the short (~2 min) trailer: 

Trailer: Smart Plays preview
Episode 1: Sideline abuse and the parent-coach connection with Julia Walsh
Episode 2: Female footy umpiring crisis with Victoria Rawlings and Damian Anderson

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Amazon | Others

Thanks to all our donors with special thanks to Wood Foundation and Spicers Australia. 

Be on the lookout for a new episode every fortnight.

SMART PLAYS PODCAST

Key takeaways from Episode 1 of Smart Plays | Club Respect

Parents and guardians play a crucial volunteer role in making sure grassroots sport takes place wearing multiple hats including transporter, supporter, spectator, counselor, officiator and educator.

Coaches are the custodians of club values and are the key influencer as a behavioural role model for players - for better or worse.

Strong and clear communication between these critical players in the sport ecosystem is crucial and with an increase in the entertainment options available to modern kids, participating in community sport cannot be taken for granted unlike previous generations.

On this episode of Smart Plays, Host Tarik Bayrakli chats with Julia Walsh about the challenges for parents and coaches that often leads to sideline abuse and how clubs can invest in the coach and parent experience to create a safe environment.

Dr. Walsh is a leading academic in sports culture, high-performance environments and is passionate about creating inclusive spaces for young people to thrive in sport. She was also the first female to coach a men’s national basketball team.

Check out the Key takeaways, Notable moments and listen to the full episode. 

Key takeaways from Episode 2 of Smart Plays | Club Respect

The breakthrough report, ‘Girls and women in Australian football umpiring’ rattled a few cages after it was leaked to the media a few months ago, the data exposing significant issues in the sport in relation to abuse, harassment and sexism of grassroots and state league participants.

The fall-out from the leak included an apology by the AFL to women who have suffered harassment and sexism and encouraged them to report instances of abuse to their clubs or the league.

But the problems facing the AFL were for all to see in the report with the main culprit being 'umpire club culture'… which given the circumstances was the last place most female umpires would have wanted to go to report abuse. So where to now post-apology?

On this episode of Smart Plays Host Tarik Bayrakli chats with the report co-authors Dr. Victoria Rawlings and Damian Anderson about being on the front line of trying to improve what has become a dismal situation, the improvement and conditions and respect for female umpires in Aussie rules football.

Check out the Key takeaways, Notable moments and listen to the full episode. 

SPECIAL OFFER

Boys being boys' - 12 October, Melbourne

We have 5 tickets to giveaway for the show Boys being boys for subscribers of Club Respect and the Victorian Women's Trust.

Performed by Niranjanan Sriganeshwaran, "this one person play follows the school-hood to adulthood journey of a teenage boy, positioned as a reluctant bystander to sexism and social injustice, watching, 'all in good fun' conversations perpetuate and prove, malicious and unnerving.

Each space, the train, the classroom, the PE changerooms, emanates a silent, slow ooze of masculinity and entitlement. And so too, each space is revealed for what it is: Locker room talk is misogyny; disdain to the queer community is transphobic; staring eyes are predatory; and pathetically justified displays of affection are assault. And the notions that permit such actions, sentiments such as brotherhood are dismantled. Because it is not, boys being boys, it is the reason why one in three women experience abuse."

To claim your free ticket to Boys being boys, reply to tarik@clubrespect.org.au with the subject line: boys being boys. 

TOP POSTS ON CLUB RESPECT SOCIALS

Follow our LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter social media pages and join in the conversations. Our focus at the moment is on the crisis of umpire/referee shortages and the cultural issues that have made it a significant issue for many sports. 

A quiet moment of respect between legends!

The AFL Grand Final has produced some heavy ‘Biffs, Bumps & Brawlers’ in its time. The 1989 Grand Final is infamous for Geelong players targetting Hawthorn player Dermott Brereton, who ended the day with 2 broken ribs and a ruptured kidney.

Unlike soccer and rugby, there’s no yellow/red card and no sin-bin in AFL… Regardless of how rough, violent or even reckless you can only be suspended after the match.

So when the prize is so great and a Grand Final premiership is at stake, it’s not uncommon to expect the worst from your opposition player.

Fast forward to the 2006 Grand Final where West Coast Eagles and Sydney Swans played one of the most epic Grand Finals ever.

Two of the best players in the competition, Chris Judd (Eagles) and Adam Goodes (Swans), followed each other all day.

Chris Judd recalls a simple, yet powerful, gesture of respect that happened in the game. Having just dislocated his shoulder and needing to have it popped back into place, he rejoined the match where Adam Goodes respectfully asked: “Are you okay?”

Judd said of that moment: “In that intense, maniacally competitive environment of a grand final, his values did not change... to him, we were human beings, first of all.”

A great acknowledgment of the real-world in the heat of the battle. Bravo Adam Goodes.

#WalkAlone

Fearless! The rise of AFLW has had a remarkable impact on the culture of Aussie Rules Footy. An astronomical rise in female participants at grassroots level has matched the increase in skill levels at the elite level.

With the AFLW competition now in its 7th season, the league opened its doors to the Disney+ documentary team. The outcome is FEARLESS: The Inside Story of the AFLW.

If you love AFL Men's competition or interested in following women's sport this documentary will definitely boost your knowledge of the game and importantly recreate the stories and personalities that make any professional sport worth watching.

But there's more to it: Shining the spotlight on the respect for women in sport. Chelsea Randall, the Adelaide Crows captain, explains how important the AFLW has been for shifting the needle on how women are perceived in sport.

"Before AFLW there was an element of disrespect, I guess, towards women playing football and comments like "You belong back in the kitchen", "go and play a sport for girls". So I wanted to prove people wrong, becuase women do belong on the big stage and they've got something to offer this great game".

We're following the 6-part miniseries and excited for the new ground that the AFLW and women's sport is still to travel.

📽️ https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/series/fearless-the-inside-story-of-the-aflw/2fVMDjDT59ib

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