Champions of the West

Champions of the West has officially wrapped – but the relationships, action plans, and commitment to gender equity we built together is just getting started.

This powerful initiative was funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Preventing Violence Through Sport grants program. It brought together clubs, players, coaches, and communities across Melbourne’s west to build fairer, safer and more inclusive football environments. Through this work, we laid foundations for long-term change in both community and elite sport.

Together, we:

• Engaged 10 sports clubs which included the WFNL Umpires Association and WFNL Women and Girls Umpiring Academy. Thank you to Caroline Springs Football Club, Point Cook Football Club, West Footscray Roosters Football Club, Yarraville Seddon Eagles Football Club, Parkside Spurs Football Club, Altona Vikings Junior Football Club, Moonee Valley Football Club, The Western Bulldogs Football Club, and the WFNL Umpires Association and Women and Girls Academy.
• Supported 539 young people to lead safe and inclusive sporting environments.
• Reached over 1,000 people through gender equity and bystander resources.
• Developed four Gender Equity Action Plans, including one Gender Audit with the AFLW program at Western Bulldogs. Thanks to West Footscray Roosters Football Club, Altona Vikings Junior Football Club, Moonee Valley Football Club, and the Western Bulldogs Football Club for committing to this work ongoing.

Our project uncovered and tackled real challenges: under-resourced women's programs, cultural barriers, inequitable facilities, and a lack of confidence around trans and gender diverse inclusion. But it also revealed incredible strength and leadership from young players, coaches, and community members ready to make a difference.

We saw engagement skyrocket when former Western Bulldogs Premiership player Tom Boyd shared his story. His post reached over 14,000 people in 12 hours and brought 11 new clubs into the conversation. His honest reflections on masculinity and mental health opened new pathways to talk about gender equity in relatable ways.

One of our biggest insights?

Relationships are everything. Real change happens when you take time to build trust, co-create resources, and support clubs to move from awareness into action.

Although this project has formally concluded, the work lives on in the Gender Equity Action Plans developed, the training delivered, and most importantly – the people and clubs who continue to lead change.

Champions of the West was delivered in partnership with:

• GenWest
• The Western Bulldogs Community Foundation
• The Western Bulldogs Football Club
• The Western Football Netball League (WFNL)
• Women’s Health Grampians

We collaborated with many organisations and individuals throughout the project through our Steering Committee, training module development and delivery, and through communities of practice. They included:

• MiCare
• Moonee Valley City Council
• RED Consulting
• Safe and Equal
• Sport and Recreation Victoria
• The Men’s Project from Jesuit Social Services
• Tom Boyd
• Dr Jessica Crofts
• Ash Webber
• The Preventing Violence Together Regional Partnership

Thank you to every club, player, coach, facilitator, and supporter who made this work possible. We’ll keep backing the champions in our community who are levelling the playing field for gender equity. For more information on how your sports club can get involved with this important work in the future, please book in with us via the link below or contact the Training and Consultancy team on consultancy@genwest.org.au

We also designed a youth zine and poster for young athletes and club administrators. Download a copy for yourself below.

Some things people have told us after attending a workshop

• "[I learned] to not just call out the unfair and sexist terms, to make sure you continually support and hold your arms around those that are impacted, rather than just asking if they're okay and moving on."
• "[The most important thing I will take away is] that we can do more as an organisation to stand up and actively engage in gender equality."
• "We will revisit our Parental Leave Policy and remove any gendered language and assumptions and ensure that barriers are removed for men (or non-birthing partners) to take primary careers leave."
• "[After the session, we'll] be able to stand up and represent a leading voice on behalf of the community in this space."