Football fields across Australia to turn purple for pancreatic cancer in June

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Now in its seventh consecutive year, #PlayinPurple, a national awareness campaign for pancreatic cancer, will once again return in June to football pitches across Australia.

On the weekends of June 12-13 and 19-20, football players will play in purple socks to raise critical awareness for the disease.

The campaign last year saw 8000 players participate in the initiative.

“This is an important awareness-raising initiative and the spirit of sportsmanship is wonderful as local football fields become awash with purple socks,” said Sutherland Shire FA General Manager Jeff Stewart.

“I encourage each and every one of our associations to participate in this.”

A-League clubs and state governing bodies across the country will continue to support the campaign.

Key information on the 2021 campaign can be found below.

  • #PlayinPurple 2020 runs on two weekends of June 12/13 &/19 20 (clubs choose their round to play in purple socks)
  • All players, clubs and codes are encouraged to participate Australia wide, with a simple change of your local club socks to purple socks for one weekend!
  • PanKind purple socks are $15 per pair and the funds raised will go directly toward pancreatic cancer research
  • A brand-new purple #PlayinPurple sock design will be unveiled this year
  • A #PlayinPurple participation pack including a social media guide is provided to each club. Campaign hashtags #playinpurple #pancreaticcancer @PanKindFoundation
  • Clubs and associations are able to make a direct donation to PanKind.
  • More information will be shared and the online shop for orders from early
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South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

Premier League club to build purpose-built women’s stadium

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Image credit: Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion announced yesterday plans to construct the first purpose-built women’s stadium in the UK and Europe, aiming for opening in the 2030/31 season.

A landmark moment

Part of a ‘built for her’ drive, the stadium will join the CPKC Stadium (home to the Kansas City Current) and Denver Summit’s planned stadium as one of three purpose-built stadiums across the globe.

Furthermore, the venue, located next to the Amex Stadium, will provide a variety of bespoke facilities designed to support female athletes, staff and supporters within the club. From pitch standards to performance preparation and recovery, facilities will fit around the athletes – not the other way around.

Women’s Managing Director, Zoe Johnson, commented on the importance of the planned development.

“The prospect of a bespoke stadium, built exclusively for women’s players, staff and supporters, is incredibly exciting,” Johnson said via official media release.

“It will help us push forward our ambitions to compete consistently both domestically in the Women’s Super League, and also in European club competition, while helping us to attract key staff and grow a passionate fan base.”

A step forward for Brighton’s women’s team, but also an exciting vision of the future of the women’s game across the world.

 

‘Built for her’

The stadium plans reflect an important distinction that the women’s game in the UK is not just ‘in development’, but a powerful, valuable and successful asset in its own right.

By constructing a home specifically designed not only to host football matches, but to welcome female athletes, staff and supporters, Bright & Hove Albion will hopefully encourage many more across the UK, Europe and beyond to do the same.

This is a stadium built on ambition and commitment to the women’s game.

“A stadium ‘built for her’ is an ambitious statement of intent – it’s an exciting commitment and will establish Brighton & Hove Albion  on the global map as a genuine home for the women’s game,” outlined Chair of Albion Women, Michelle Walder.

“Delivering these plans is central to accelerating the long-term growth of our women’s team and the future of the wider game.”

Moreover, as the 10,000 capacity stadium will link with the existing Amex Stadium through a new bridge link, both venues will grow more connected in operations and on matchdays, while still maintaining unique identities and fan demographics.

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