Skip to main content

Fair Access in Bayside


 

It's time for Fair Access

Why? 

Sport and active recreation is a core part of our lives here in Bayside. Everyone has the right to fully participate at any level (official or umpire, committee member or volunteer, competitively or socially) and reach their full potential. Without this change, women and girls will continue to face unfair circumstances and experience more barriers to sport and active recreation than men and boys. This creates an unequal playing field, and we want to make sure everyone experiences the joy, passion, health and wellbeing benefits of being part of sport and active recreation. Bayside want to be leaders in this space and we want sport and active recreation clubs to help us achieve this! 

Bayside has an endorsed gender equitable Fair Access Policy and Fair Access Action Plan.  The primary focus of our Policy and Action Plan is to promote equitable opportunities in the community. We want to level the playing field for women and girls on and off the field and clubs have a responsibility to provide these avenues for activity.  

We will continue to support practical and cultural change to ensure everyone has access to the benefits that sport and active recreation provides. Our commitment is to think critically about how our future policies, strategies, plans, infrastructure and services meet the diverse needs of women and girls in sport and active recreation to make things more Fair.

View the PolicyView the Action Plan


 

Sport and active recreation club requirements

What's next! 

The Fair Access Policy and Action Plan requires all Council Facilities Users of community sporting and recreation facilities to be made available for everyone. Ultimately, this means that everyone in Bayside, should have fair and reasonable access to the ‘best’ training and game times, to social and change room facilities and the ability to feel safe whilst being active around Bayside. Success of all clubs and teams is what we are all striving for.

Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR)

Fair Access Policy Roadmap website and resources

Sport and active recreation is a fundamental part of the lives of many Victorians, and of many Victorian communities.

OWSR developed and lead the implementation of the Fair Access Policy Roadmap to advance gender equitable access and use of community sports and active recreation infrastructure to stretch to every corner of Victoria. The Fair Access Policy Roadmap addressed Recommendation 6 from the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation (2015). This Inquiry was instrumental in the formation of OWSR, the Change Our Game initiatives and now the Fair Access Roadmap. 

The Fair Access Policy Roadmap linked the requirements of the Gender Equality Act 2020 with steps shaped by extensive consultation to support Victorian local governments, other public land management groups and sport and recreation bodies to progress gender equitable change. All Victorian local governments were required to have a Policy in place by 1 July 2024 and an Action Plan by 1 October 2024 to continue to build both the capacity and capability in identifying and eliminating systemic causes of gender inequities in community sports and active recreation. 

Council, will work alongside facility users of Council sites, community clubs, community participants and recreation patrons creating safe & fair environments.

When OWSR developed the Fair Access Policy Roadmap guiding principles, two themes became clear: 

  • while some local governments are well advanced on their journey and implementing gender equitable access and use policies and programs, other organisations are at the start of their journey; and 
  • there are differences in the scale of resources, including people, that are available to bring gender equitable access and use policies and programs to life across different local government organisations, particularly when considering smaller rural and regional councils

The 6 principles reflect both cultural and administrative elements that will drive the strongest, most sustained outcomes, as well as the opportunity to magnify and incentivise change.

  1. Community sports infrastructure and environments are genuinely welcoming, safe, and inclusive. 
  2. Women and girls can fully participate in all aspects of community sport and active recreation including as a player, coach, administrator, official, volunteer and spectator. 
  3. Women and girls will have equitable access to and use of community sport infrastructure: 
    1. of the best available and most convenient 
    2. at the best and most popular competition and training times and locations 
    3. to support existing and new participation opportunities, and a variety of sport.
  4. Women and girls should be equitably represented in leadership and governance roles.
  5. Encourage and support all user groups who access and use community sport infrastructure to understand, adopt and implement gender equitable access and use practices. 
  6. Prioritise access, use and support to all user groups who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to gender equitable access and use of allocated community sport infrastructure.

Club responsibilities to Fair Access:

Year 1: 

1. Attend the Fair Access Gender Equity training

2. Complete a health-check (Via Game Plan)

3. Develop an Action Plan and align with your State/National Sporting Organisation.

4. Join ‘Game Plan’ and support Council to gather the baseline data

5. Be open to changing the game 


Expectations for clubs to complete:

1. Fair Access Action Plan Development & Gender Equity Training

Club Responsibilities

Clubs have a shared responsibility to support the Policy, and the collaboration with the recreation sector and stakeholders is required to make meaningful change. Our Action Plan includes the role for Council to collaborate with clubs so you can undertake your own self assessments and develop an Action Plan that aligns to our Policy and your State Sporting Association expectations.

Introduction

Sport and recreation clubs are welcomed to join us in the first of our education sessions to support Fair Access and changing the game.

Bayside City Council want our sport and active recreation clubs to be setup for success. We want to do this by supporting your efforts to attract and encourage more women and girls to play and be involved. We have partnered with GippSport to deliver club specific training that will support each club to complete a health-check and develop a club-specific Action Plan. The sessions will also enhance everyone’s education about this important topic, Gender Equity, provide tools and resources for ongoing support, and provide other useful tips to help ‘Change The Game’.

Sessions

  1. Wednesday 30 October 2024, 6.30pm to 8pm
  • Event location: Face-to-Face, Bayside City Council.
  • Who should attend: Club Committee members/club players - All welcome.
  1. Monday 11 November 2024, 6.30pm to 8pm
  • Event location: Face-to-Face, Bayside City Council.
  • Who should attend: Club Committee members/club players - All welcome.
  1. Monday 10 February 2025, 12:00pm to 1:30pm
  • Event location: Online
  • Who should attend: Club Committee members/club players - All welcome.

Who is involved

We strongly encourage multiple attendees from each organisation to attend so this can be a whole of club focus to drive the change. You are welcome to invite your State Sporting Association or league representatives to help support your future planning for the evening, they can: 

REGISTER HERE

 

2. Club culture & Alcohol at your club Training - GoodSports

Coming soon 2025…

Research 


Resources


 

Women and girls participation facts

Female participation facts image. 1. Women's sport participation has increased 220% over the last 10 years.* 2. Female local sport club committee volunteers make up only 18% in Bayside* 3. In 2023, women and girls participation made up 22% of Bayside's total participation rate.* 4. Girls sport participation has increased 77% over the last 10 years.* 5. 41% of women and girls sport participants in Bayside play Soccer.* 6. In 2022, Bayside’s overall sport participation rate was 25% of the population.