Women and girls in sport
Sport and Recreation Victoria is continuing the legacy of Change Our Game. We will continue to create the best place for women and girls in sport and recreation in Victoria.
From junior girls to elite female athletes, we provide support to women and girls in sport through initiatives that promote gender equality, participation, leadership, and inclusion.
Grants and funding
Our infrastructure funding provides support to upgrade community sports facilities, making them more inclusive and accessible.
Learn more about our Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.
Building female-friendly infrastructure
We invest in infrastructure improvements, such as the development of change rooms and facilities specifically designed to accommodate women and girls in sport and recreation activities. Design advice on developing facilities suitable for women and girls can be found in our Female Friendly Sport Infrastructure Guidelines.
Our Community Sports and Infrastructure 2024 Outcomes Statement showed our infrastructure investments are making a real difference – junior girls’ sport participation increased the most among all cohorts, rising by 19% at Sport and Recreation Victoria funded facilities.
Advocacy and policy development
We advocate for systemic changes to improve representation, safety, and inclusivity for women and girls in sport.
Our Fair Access Policy is used by Councils and sporting organisations to create policies that promote gender equality and provide safe and inclusive spaces, with every council in Victoria and Alpine Resorts Victoria now with an adopted policy
We will continue to support the sector to improve gender balance on community sporting boards through the Balance the Board Policy, which supports increased representation of women on boards across Victoria’s sport and active recreation sector.
Balance the Board requires all recognised Victorian sport and active recreation bodies to have a minimum of 40% women directors on its board to be eligible to apply for the Victorian Government’s Community Sport funding programs.
Research
Change Our Game led research into gender barriers and issues impacting women in sport, and you can find those resources here by selecting the 'Women and girls' filter in the resources section of our website.