Northern NSW Football has reached the conclusion of the second Women’s Leadership Program for 2023, aimed at empowering women involved in football to have a stronger, more positive influence on the sport.
The program provides five weeks of online and face-to-face learning and networking opportunities for established and aspiring female leaders within football to increase the number and capacity of women in decision-making roles across all levels of the sport.
All 24 participants attended the two-day conference in the program's third week at the Novotel in Newcastle Beach. The conference allowed all participants to come face-to-face with each other to apply their learnings to shared and individual experiences.
TUDE founder and Newcastle Knights Wellbeing Manager Holly Fuda facilitated the program, with Football Australia and CommBank Matildas Equipment Manager Holly-Lace Ayton assisting.
Fiona Wells from Mullumbimby Brunswick Valley FC and referee Alison Mcready took valuable experiences and learnings away from participating in the program.
“The NNSWF Women’s Leadership Program conference connected me to a wonderful group of women in football whose stories inspired and motivated me to be more active behind the scenes in sport,” Wells said.
“The program content was extremely professional, current, practical and interesting. It empowered and gave me the tools to be a part of the force of women who are changing the game and the world for the better.”
"The program with the face-to-face conference in particular, has not only provided a wealth of invaluable material on developing our leadership capabilities and self-awareness but also clearly demonstrated in an encouraging and productive way the paradox that we are all unique and we have different backgrounds and experiences. We also share so many similarities in our thought processes and personalities and there are many commonalities in the challenges we face,” Macready said.
NNSWF Legacy Development Officer Helen Mosely was pleased with the program's success.
“The Women’s Leadership Program is a great opportunity for Northern NSW Football to gain a better insight into the women that are making or aspiring to make positive changes in football as well as creating more lines of connections,’ Moseley said.
“It was incredible to have another opportunity to connect with women in all different roles across football from grassroots volunteers to board members and paid staff. The diversity that these women bring enables each participant to expand their understanding of the game and what will be needed to continue having positive influences on the way it runs and is enjoyed.”
Find out more about the strategy supporting female football.
This program is supported by the NSW government under the NSW Football Legacy Program.
