Decision details

By Councillor Scott

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         women are under-represented in organised sport—as participants, coaches, officials, administrators, and board members—when compared to their male cohort;

(ii)        outside the period of major sporting festivals, sports receive only around four per cent of all sports media coverage;

(iii)       AusPlay data indicated that overall, girls are almost as likely as boys to play sport, however, when they grow up women are less likely;

(iv)       an AusPlay study recorded that women aged over 18 participated less than half as much as men in sport-related activities and even less so in team sports;

(v)        participation in sport is important to the physical, social and mental health of individuals, a benefit currently not equally provided to women;

(vi)       it has often been accepted in the past that women’s and girls’ teams will be given inconvenient training times, lower standard grounds and facilities that are not designed for females;

(vii)      the Women’s World Cup 2023 set viewing records around the world, including here in Australia where it attracted more viewers across all platforms than the most recent AFL and NRL grand finals and the State of Origin;

(viii)    the recent World Cup generated a $7.6 billion economic boost for retail and travel industries across Australia;

(ix)       Lake Macquarie City Council has announced the upgrade of eight sports facilities to make them more inclusive for women and girls;

(x)        Moorabool Shire has introduced the Female Friendly Sport and Recreation Participation and Infrastructure Strategy, which aims to create, facilitate and recognise the importance of women and girls’ involvement in physical activity;

(xi)       the Federal Government recently announced the $200 million Play our Way program to improve sporting facilities and equipment specifically for women and girls; and

(xii)      the NSW Government has committed up to $25 million to the Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Grant Program,  which invests in developing or renovating sport facility bathrooms and change rooms and upgraded lighting; and

(B)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         undertake an audit to assess the level of gender equality present across all sporting facilities in the City of Sydney;

(ii)        produce a strategy paper addressing the City of Sydney’s plans to support and increase female participation and safety in sport, addressing gender equality in:

sport and recreation facilities including changerooms, playing and training time allocations and lighting;

sport and recreation opportunities for participation;

funding allocated by the City; and

promotion by the City on all advertising platforms; and

(iii)       work alongside Babana Aboriginal to identify a City owned or other Redfern site for a mural of Australian Indigenous rugby league women.

Note – at the meeting of Council, the content of the Notice of Motion was varied by Councillor Scott. Subsequently it was –

Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Chan –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         women are under-represented in organised sport—as participants, coaches, officials, administrators, and board members—when compared to their male cohort;

(ii)        outside the period of major sporting festivals, female sports receive only around four per cent of all sports media coverage;

(iii)       AusPlay data indicated that overall, girls are almost as likely as boys to play sport, however, when they grow up women are less likely;

(iv)       an AusPlay study recorded that women aged over 18 participated less than half as much as men in sport-related activities and even less so in team sports;

(v)        participation in sport is important to the physical, social and mental health of individuals, a benefit currently not equally provided to women;

(vi)       it has often been accepted in the past that women’s and girls’ teams will be given inconvenient training times, lower standard grounds and facilities that are not designed for females;

(vii)      the Women’s Football World Cup 2023 set viewing records around the world, including here in Australia where it attracted more viewers across all platforms than the most recent AFL and NRL grand finals and the State of Origin;

(viii)    the recent World Cup generated a $7.6 billion economic boost for retail and travel industries across Australia;

(ix)       Lake Macquarie City Council has announced the upgrade of eight sports facilities to make them more inclusive for women and girls;

(x)        Moorabool Shire has introduced the Female Friendly Sport and Recreation Participation and Infrastructure Strategy, which aims to create, facilitate and recognise the importance of women and girls’ involvement in physical activity;

(xi)       the Federal Government recently announced the $200 million Play our Way program to improve sporting facilities and equipment specifically for women and girls;

(xii)      the NSW Government has committed up to $25 million to the Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Grant Program, which invests in developing or renovating sport facility bathrooms and change rooms and upgraded lighting;

(xiii)    at the City-owned Perry Park and Getiela Synthetic Sportsfield:

(a)        Expression of Interest processes for regular court and field hire prioritises groups and organisations that promote women’s participation in sports;

(b)        regular court hire to several Roller Derby organisations that facilitate weekly programs mostly attended by women;

(c)        inside sports competitions includes mixed-gender in the sports of futsal, volleyball and netball; and

(d)        a women’s drop-in/casual football program was trialled at Perry Park this past winter. Although participation levels varied, the initiative was promising and will be trialled again with the aim for it to become a regular program;

(xiv)    in relation to the City’s pools and tennis facilities:

(a)        creche club exercise group is run weekly from the Gunyama Sportsfield to support parents and guardians, allowing them access to the centre while building social connections within the community;

(b)        hosted the inaugural Trans and Gender Diverse Swim Event at Cook + Phillip Park Pool in recognition of the International Transgender Day of Visibility. This will be an annual event;

(c)        Rainbow Tennis is delivered weekly at Prince Alfred Park promoting physical activity and social interaction for the LGBTQIA+ community;

(d)        tennis centres host weekly women's clinics and women's doubles tennis competitions at various locations;

(e)        Gunyama Sportsfield continued to host the Sydney University Women's Football Club for practice and play; and

(f)         the Waterloo Rugby League U15 Girls used Gunyama Sportsfield for training in the lead up to the Koori Knockout Cup;

(xv)     the City’s ovals and sports facilities are increasingly well used by female and mixed gender sports including Oztag at Wentworth Park, Redfern All Blacks and South Sydney Rabbitohs’ all female teams at Redfern, Waterloo and Erskineville Ovals, Dunbar Rovers women’s soccer at Waterloo and Alexandria Ovals, women’s hockey teams at Jubilee Oval and Sydney University Women's Football Club at Gunyama; 

(xvi)    the City’s parks, sportsfields and recreational facilities are planned and designed for people of all ages, genders and ability, with an emphasis on safety with appropriate lighting and passive surveillance to ensure a welcoming and accessible environment;

(xvii)   the City’s Open Space, Sports and Recreation Needs Study provides a series of directions and recommendations for the future planning, provision, development and management of public open space and recreation facilities in the City of Sydney area. A key focus of the Strategy is inclusion and accessibility;

(xviii)  the City of Sydney’s ‘A City for All’ social sustainability strategy includes an action on inclusive sport and recreation through program delivery in our community facilities;

(xix)    in 2022, Council resolved to request the City’s Chief Executive Officer to work with gender-diverse organisations to ensure our facilities are inclusive; and

(xx)     Council has resolved on a number of occasions to investigate recognising culturally-diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander figures in the public domain through public art; and

(B)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         undertake an audit to assess the level of gender equality present across all sporting facilities in the City of Sydney as part of the next review of the City’s Open Space, Sports and Recreation Needs Study;

(ii)        ensure the City’s relevant policies, strategies and plans continue to support and increase female participation and safety in sport, addressing gender equality in:

(a)        sport and recreation facilities including changerooms, playing and training time allocations and lighting;

(b)        sport and recreation opportunities for participation;

(c)        funding allocated by the City; and

(d)        promotion by the City on all advertising platforms; and

(iii)       continue to work with the City’s Public Art Advisory Panel and other stakeholders (including Babana Aboriginal) to recognise important Aboriginal women through public artwork.

Carried unanimously.

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