Following the recent surges nationwide in female participation, Football Queensland (FQ) has also proven they are making important strides in their 50/50 gender parity plan, with FQ appointing women to higher positions in the sports hierarchy.
Throughout the state, FQ is committed to achieving 50/50 gender parity in participants, referees, committees and club officials by 2027.
FQ has announced that of 10 FQ members, five have been women, hitting an impressive 50/50 representation.
These representatives are chosen from their local communities, proving that the push for change in equity comes from the members of the community.
These members include Sarah Jones (Far North & Gulf), Roslyn Minnikin (Metro South Chair), Azra Rantucci (Northern), Jodie Dickens (South Coast) and Rebecca Whisker (Sunshine Coast).
In conjunction with these appointments, Football Queensland also announced the re-election of Board Director Amy Chapman following the recent Annual General Meeting as the FQ Board of Directors.
FQ President Paula Robinson commented:
“Following a huge 2023 that saw the game reach new audiences and engagement levels like never before and after FQ recorded an incredible 44% increase in outdoor female players in the first quarter of 2024, we are excited to further consolidate the growth of female representation on the pitch with similar progress off the pitch in vital governance roles,” she said.
These appointments are a key part of the Football Queensland 2024-2026 Women’s & Girls Strategy and show the effort made to deliver on this mission.
In Pillar One: Participants & Clubs: A main goal is for 100% of Queensland club boards, committees and FQ members to meet the 40/40/20 gender representation by 2027.
These appointments prove that FQ is well on the way to this goal not just in leadership but also state-wide through all the different footballing communities.
FQ President Paula Robinson also commented, “Having such a diverse group of esteemed members within football’s governance ranks helping to design an inclusive future for the game in Queensland will ensure that more participants, particularly women and girls, can get involved in the game earlier and remain engaged for life.”
Retaining participants and early involvement in the game is another goal within Pillar One of the 2024-2026 Strategy.
Also in Pillar 2: Advanced Pathways one of the strategies includes:
Increase the awareness of the 50/50 gender parity initiative through storytelling and regular representation of achievements in all our published collateral and marketing promotions.
This news post is a prime example of the media and storytelling strategies towards the equity goal of 2027.
The announcement shows dedication to the ambitious plans of Football Queensland for the Women’s 2024-2026 strategy.
In this process, FQ will be making the football scene a more accurate industry of Australian’s diverse sporting community.
