Lead Your Way Taps into Female Football IQTuesday, April 9, 2024 - 1:12 PM

Highly credentialled WA football figures have thrown their support behind a new program to assist females and the roles they play at clubs around the state.

The Lead Your Way launch was hosted at Scarborough Surf Life Saving Club last month with over 75 females attending the event which coincided with the celebration of International Women’s Day.

Inspirational insights were provided by a group of women, including WA Football Hall of Famer Jan Cooper.

Other contributors were Muneerah Foster, the only female Muslim goal umpire in WA, and since 2020 has been in the Goal Umpiring Development squad.

Nicole Rodgers, the President of Warwick Greenwood JFC, provided insights into her experiences, while Sharon Wood-Kenney did likewise as the founder of the Djinda Falcons Program.

A coach and life member at the Ocean Ridge JFC, Sharon is an Indigenous leader in the community, highlighting the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and representation in leadership positions.

The program also incorporated a session titled Share Your Journey which was run by Deb Lee.

Deb is the AFL Women & Girls Action Plan Lead, a decorated player, founder of the first women’s club in the western suburbs of Victoria, as well as being the former General Manager of Female Football at the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne FC

Erin Tyers, who attended the event, has spoken about how beneficial the program has been for her.

“I've now been to two sessions, the Coach Your Way & Lead Your Way IWD brunch,” Tyers said.

“This season I already feel supported, not worried about flicking off a question or email and the pressures of doing or saying the wrong thing are eased.

“I've finally realised and know that I'm doing an amazing job.”

Biana Glanville, Womens and Girls Community Football Coordinator at the WAFC, has declared Lead Your Way a resounding success.

“The Program has approximately 200 registered members and is still growing across WA from community to WAFL club level,” Glanville said.

Lead Your Way events coming up include a series of workshops with Sport Psychologist Sandy Gordon who will host six Leadership Psychology sessions, while there will be various Skills Development sessions throughout the year that will focus on different aspects of the club landscape such as social media, governance, leading positive cultural change, and finance.

Extended list of upcoming events can be found here: https://www.wafootball.com.au/female/lead-your-way

Register to the Lead Your Way program to receive information about all upcoming events: https://www.wafootball.com.au/female/lead-your-way