Vicsport commence the Child Safe Online Education Program

Grassroots football clubs and associations have a new free and interactive platform to comply with the 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards, following Vicsport’s launch of the Child Safe Online Education Program.

Supported by Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV) and Lander & Rogers, the education program is powered by etrainu’s Learning Management System.

Users are able to delve into the content one module at a time while working through practical, sport-based strategies and scenarios to help with their understanding. Breakdowns of compliance indicators, policies and procedures are also included – the ability to save as you go means that you can work through the program at your own pace.

“In early 2022, ahead of the new 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards replacing the original seven Standards and three Principles, my predecessor Fiona Jones identified that the Victorian sports community would benefit from an alternate form of learning,” Vicsport Participation and Inclusion Manager Michaela Cook said via press release.

“We applied for funding through SRV and then commenced conversations with etrainu regarding the design of an online education program. We looked at the development of a module framework and discussed the key elements needed to assist the end user in understanding the compliance for each Standard, whether they be a sport administrator, volunteer, coach or official.”

Each module has users taken through a Standard to gain an understanding of its purpose and how to best comply. Interactive sport-based scenarios provide a chance for users to test their knowledge before they conclude with a quiz that earns them a Certificate of Completion.

While the Standards are numbered 1-11, modules do not have to be completed in order and is flexible to do them all when convenient.

“Throughout the design process, we ran draft versions past SRV, CCYP and Lander & Rogers to ensure the modules not only correctly reflected the Standards but legislation as well. We constantly referred to CCYP’s “A Guide for creating a Child Safe Organisation” document and for Module 1, which looks at establishing culturally safe environments for Aboriginal children and young people, we engaged Rob Hyatt at Koorie Heritage Trust,” Cook added via press release.

“By January 2023, we were in a position to soft-launch the program so we invited some key stakeholders to trial the program and provide their feedback before officially launching on 20 February.”

The program launch featured Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence as well as a panel discussion. Simon Merritt (Senior Associate, Lander & Rogers) and Emily Sanders (Director Regulation, Commission for Children and Young People) discussed their involvement in making the modules and how they see them assisting the sports industry. Jennifer McIntyre (CEO, Calisthenics Victoria) and Ginny Robinson (Affiliate Services Manager, Netball Victoria) were also in attendance to outline the modules from a sporting lens and share the work done by their organisations in embedding child safety.

“These modules are aimed at grassroot sporting clubs and we are keen for State Sporting Associations to pass the link down to as many clubs as possible,” Michaela added in a statement.

“However, it can also be utilised by sporting leagues, associations, state or regional sporting organisations and even national sporting organisations based in Victoria.

“They are an excellent resource and something we expect will help our industry for many years. But we will still continue to work in the child safe space, “sportifying” new resources from CCYP for our industry as well as running events such as the Child Safe Community of Practices which assist child safe leaders to support their clubs on their own child safe journey.”

Learn more about Vicsport’s Child Safe Online Education Program here and then get started with the modules by creating an account here.

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Driving Health Forward: Melbourne Victory partners with Hydrodol

Melbourne Victory has celebrated a new partnership with Australian wellness brand, Hydrodol. The deal will see both parties collaborate for the rest of the 2024/25 A-Leagues season.

Hydrodol is a significant supplements provider across Australia, New Zealand the Asia Pacific, supplying customers with cutting edge products tailored to assist with hydration and a range of other health concerns.

Together, Melbourne Victory and Hydrodol will join their philosophies of driving health and fitness forward in order to bring attention to healthy living practices among the Australian football community.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, expressed admiration for the partnership.

“We are delighted to welcome Hydrodol to the Melbourne Victory family,” she said in a press release.

“This partnership reflects a shared vision of supporting individuals to perform at their best whether they’re on the pitch, in the stands, or in their daily lives. Together, we aim to provide meaningful benefits to our fans, players, and the broader Victory community.”

Hydrodol Marketing Manager, Jenn Leung, echoed Carnegie’s applause.

‘Hydrodol is passionate about empowering people to feel their best, whether they’re elite athletes or everyday Australians,” she said via press release.

“Partnering with Melbourne Victory, Australia’s biggest football club allows us to connect with a vibrant community that values health, performance, and well-being.”

Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica, outlined the significance of the club’s collaboration with Hydrodol in a press release.

“To lead successful football programs, it is essential that we look to partner with companies like Hydrodol, who can help maintain and improve our players’ recovery from the demands of professional football and readiness to compete each week,” he said via press release.

For the remaining games of the 2024/25 season, fans and spectators will be able to see Hydrodol advertisement material at the Home of the Matilda’s and AAMI Park, as both Melbourne Victory and Hydrodol work to bolster the health and wellbeing of the community.

FIFA set new global benchmark for Women’s Football Development

In a landmark initiative for women’s football, FIFA has unveiled an ambitious strategy aimed at reaching 60 million female players worldwide by 2027.

The comprehensive plan, supported by 13 distinct development programmes, is available to all 211 FIFA Member Associations, marking a significant step forward in the sport’s global evolution.

FIFA also took the announcement to highlight the achievements for women’s football in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Oceanic Football Confederation (OFC).

The recently enhanced FIFA Women’s Development Programme underscores the organisation’s strengthened commitment to expanding the women’s game.

The upcoming 2025 calendar promises several groundbreaking developments for women’s football.

The Philippines will host the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, while Morocco makes history as the first African nation to stage the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The latter tournament sees significant expansion, growing from 16 to 24 teams and shifting to an annual format.

International competition reaches new heights with continental championships scheduled across multiple confederations.

The pathway to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 commences with African qualification matches, while major regional tournaments including the UEFA Women’s EURO and OFC Women’s Nations Cup will crown new champions.

In a significant advancement for club football, all six confederations will host their respective continental club championships for the first time.

This renewed focus comes amid unprecedented growth in participation rates, particularly evident in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-host nations.

New Zealand has reported a remarkable 27 per cent surge in female participation since 2022, with particularly strong growth among Māori and Pasifika communities, showing a 14 per cent increase.

A strategic partnership between New Zealand Football and Māori Football Aotearoa further strengthens grassroots development.

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell voiced the federations successful results.

“The expansion of football and futsal in Aotearoa New Zealand has been extraordinary, with the Women’s World Cup serving as a genuine catalyst for growth,” he explained via official FIFA press release.

Across the Tasman, Football Australia’s Growing Football Fund Community Grants programme continues to foster development at the grassroots level.

The latest round of funding benefits 118 recipients, complementing the 121 projects supported in March 2024.

This initiative particularly emphasises regional development, with nearly half the grants allocated to areas outside major metropolitan centres.

The grants provide essential support for women’s football development, encompassing coach education, introductory programmes, and vital equipment procurement, further cementing the sport’s foundation at the community level.

Also within the AFC, footballing powerhouse Japan has successfully hosted the continent’s first female-exclusive Pro Licence coaching course.

A collaborative effort between FIFA, AFC, and the Japan Football Association (JFA), represents a significant milestone in professional football development.

The intensive seven-day course attracted participants from fourteen nations, featuring presents such as AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh and Japan men’s national team coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Participants gained valuable practical experience through observations of pre-season training sessions at both J.League and Nadeshiko League clubs.

JFA Technical Director Masanaga Kageyama emphasised the programme’s strategic importance and inclusivity.

“This course is a joint AFC/JFA initiative to increase the number of top-level, professionally licensed female coaches in Asia. It aims to provide existing talents with additional advice to help them achieve greater success in their current coaching positions and secure future success,” Kageyama explained via official FIFA press release.

This initiative aligns with JFA’s renowned long-term development philosophy and a significant advancement in creating pathways for women in professional football coaching.

This newly improved strategy at the global scale will hopefully allow for more women in both professional and amateur spaces to get the opportunities they deserve in football.

It also highlight’s that AFC & OFC nations, including Australia, will have a strong place within the growth of women’s football.

Read more on the FIFA Women’s Development Program here.

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