Women in Football Advisory Committee launchedFriday, February 7, 2020 - 2:21 PM

The West Australian Football Commission has established a new Women in Football Advisory Committee to guide and support the growth and development of female football in Western Australia.

Women’s football is experiencing an exciting period of growth, driven by the success of the AFLW and WAFLW, and a greater focus on female talent and community pathways.

The number of female participants has more than tripled over the last six years to 109,647 and women and girls now account for a third of participants in WA.

The Women in Football Advisory Committee will play an important role in helping to shape the involvement of women and girls in football for generations to come both on and off the field.

The members of the new Committee include Cheryl Edwardes (Chair), Michelle Cowan (Deputy Chair), Kasey Ball, Adil Cader, Simone Hansen, Carolyn Hills, Nicola Johnson, Michael Littleton, Sophia Nimphuis, Sharon Ninyette, Kimberley Wynhorst and Linda Hamersley (Executive Officer).

This Committee will guide the development of a Strategic Action Plan for women in football in WA and provide the WAFC with ongoing strategic and practical advice on areas including but not limited to:

• Increasing the number of women and girls who choose to play and continue to play football
• Supporting the ongoing development of the WAFLW competition
• Supporting the talent pathway for female football players
• Increasing the number of female umpires and coaches
• Increasing the number of relevantly skilled women administrators and board members across WA football clubs and affiliated competitions
• Developing policies and procedures that support the safety and wellbeing of women and girls involved in football
• Identifying new commercial, funding and investment opportunities for women’s football
• Developing guidelines for appropriate facilities for female participants
• Promoting and marketing the profile of women’s football
• Creating diverse and inclusive club cultures

WAFC CEO Gavin Taylor said the WAFC was excited to appoint a Committee which could assist in each of these areas during an exciting period of growth. 

“The WAFC is committed to supporting the growth of women’s football and increasing governance diversity with a broad range of leadership opportunities across the football industry,” he said.

“With the growth of female football, we believe it is very important to have more diverse representation at a governance level, so that this growth in participation on the field is also reflected in key leadership roles.”

“We are making positive progress in this area, with two female Commissioners serving together for the first time this year after Amber Banfield joined Vice Chairman Cheryl Edwardes on the WAFC Board.”

“We hope the Women in Football Advisory Committee provides significant support and guidance for all of our female participants, as well as another pathway to leadership roles in football.”

“It is a really exciting opportunity for the members of this new Committee to have a positive influence on shaping the future of female football in Western Australia.”